In the 2009 Finnish film Mitä meistä tuli (What became of us), two main characters have a special dinner (snails) on their porch in Helsinki.* The shots are only of the two over each other's shoulders but it is clear they are seated in a small private area which opens up into a public, forested area. There is ambient noise of children's (?) play and other conversations in the background, i.e., they are home but they are also in a public space. This image demonstrates the nature of the partitioned porches (there is no doubt another word for these but I can't think of one):
The above image is a better view of the nature of the space - a lawn and dense foliage.
You could be forgiven for dismissing this as merely my fetishisation of Finnish society but also I would like to draw your attention to the way in which this casually (possibly unconsciously as it's so ordinary) explores the way in which a household can go about its private business in public - as one would, I suppose, in a restaurant or going on a walk.
* I don't think Helsinki is stated but if it's not Helsinki it's 'Anycity, Finland'
No comments:
Post a Comment