The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki - Review

The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki, director Juho Kuosmanen's debut feature, is a boxing film that whilst still being a film about boxing is about as far from the likes of Rocky that you can get. Here Kuosmanen takes his cues from the French New Wave more than anything from the tradition of the boxing film, swapping the stirring training montages you might expect for wonderful The 400 Blows style tracking shots. The result is a deft, heartwarming study of two people in love, likeably refreshing in its unassuming good-naturedness. 

The character being studied is Finnish boxer Olli Mäki, also know as "The Baker of Kokkola" (an appropriately down to earth nickname), in the build up to his world championship fight against American boxer Davey Moore which is set to be held in Helsinki. It is the bizarre rigmarole that is this buildup that provides the setting for much of the film. As we follow our delightfully quiet protagonist navigating the various obligations that surround the event, the milieu is seen through his slightly disillusioned eyes.     

Kuosmanen and Jarkko Lahti (Olli Mäki) work well here to find unexpected moments of comedy - punctuating the somewhat intrusive publicity events with Olli's lovable grin - they contrast his seemingly benign spirit with the intense boxing world to great comedic effect. His consistent failure to look tough for photo shoots and Bill Murray in Lost in Translation style confusion at the instructions of a documentarian that is following his exploits were particularly funny. 

Above all though, it is the humble gentle nature in which he portrays Mäki (reminiscent of Adam Driver's titular Paterson) that is endearing, Mäki's slightly introverted, straightforward approach was completely charming. Finishing a close second in the charming ratings is the aforementioned partner Raija  - played by Oona Airola whose broad open features seem the perfect match for the more lean, acute ones of Mäki - her ever supportive, no nonsense approach to their relationship is portrayed nicely.

Also noteworthy is the rich graininess of the black and white in which events are captured. Shot on 16mm with a raw immediacy evocative of Truffaut or Godard, Kuosmanen and his cinematographer J.P. Passi follow the characters movements closely, painting a tender, intimate picture of plain everyday moments. They also make use of the Finnish countryside, filming some ravishing scenes of Olli training. One particular shot of him swimming was up there with Ciro Guerra's Embrace of the Serpent for most spectacular looking water captured on film in recent years.

So to conclude, The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki is an interesting take on the boxing film, breaking from the often seen cliché of relationships being a hindrance to someone's path to greatness, this film is a paean to simple, sincere love. Interspersed with many truly charming moments shared by Olli and Raija - skimming stones on a lake and riding their bike together - Kuosmanen delights in the beauty of companionship, ultimately making a perhaps valid point about what is most important in life.