AURORA

Lapland's dark winter invites many to pass most of their time knocking back the drinks. And that's what the film's main character and namesake Aurora (terrific: Mimosa Willamo) also does. Her job in the nail studio isn't exactly fulfilling, and there's only her alcoholic father waiting for her back home. When they are evicted and Aurora learns that it's easier to earn money in Norway, she doesn't think twice and buys plane tickets – on credit. But, as fate would have it, she meets the Iranian asylum seeker Darian and his little daughter Azar during a long night. He is desperately looking for a Finnish woman who is prepared to marry him. After initial hesitation, the two of them make a deal: she will help him find a wife and he will give her 3,000 Euros. However, the more the two get to know one another, the further Norway moves into the distance. Miia Tervo’s feature film debut is an occasionally morbid romantic comedy that deliberately and often errs on the side of political incorrectness, but shows a lot of feeling for her characters. RH