Portraits of Women 1970

Pertti, Jörn Donner, a filmmaker with a clear taste for provocative cinema, has returned home to Finland from America and settles into life with his old student friends, the married Jussi Aarre Elo and Liisa Kirsti Wallasvaara. At a crayfish party hosted by the couple, he intersects with biology teacher Saara Suominen Ritva Vepsä, who is on the brink of divorce. Saara’s reaction to Pertti’s advances is cool and decisive, and in the morning Pertti manages to seduce Liisa. By the next day, Saara has resolved her situation with her husband and, in a rapid turn of events, moves in with Jussi and Liisa.

Pertti begins to study Finnish cinema through a critical lens, convinced that love scenes there are tame and overly artistic. He dreams of crafting a new kind of Finnish romance on screen, yet his ambition hits a snag when the actress he interviews refuses to undress, insisting she’s interested in a political film instead. Undeterred, Pertti spots two lively youths, Sven Henrik Granö and Ulla Marianne Holmström, who have appeared in the material for his project, and who themselves crave a political edge to their film. The encounter sets up a complex dynamic: a director chasing a sharper form of cinema, and two young talents eager to shape their own story on screen.

Saara invites Pertti on a city tour and they share a drink, a prelude to the spiky relationship that will unfold between artist and muse. The filming begins at a villa perched on the archipelago, where the crew seeks to capture the spontaneous ardor between Ulla and Sven. The dynamic between Pertti and the crew’s cinema-artist sensibility deepens as cinematographer Peter von Spaak Jaakko Talaskivi argues for a more contemporary, less constrained approach to the camera, pushing Pertti to balance instinct with craft.

When Pertti later joins Saara at the summer villa, she has cycled out for the weekend and asks him to stay. Their dalliance grows into a more intimate bond, and they end up sharing a night at Liisa and Jussi’s place. Liisa’s discovery of Pertti’s involvement with Saara triggers a tense confrontation, and she hints at exposing Pertti to Jussi. The house fills with an uneasy, chilling air as Pertti and Saara begin to sense the fragility of the arrangement they’ve formed.

Meanwhile, Ulla reveals to the camera that she had a quarrel with Sven, prompting Pertti to continue filming the other side of their relationship—the moments of closeness that challenge public perception. Sven returns to the villa and reconciles with Ulla, offering a glimmer of hope for the couple’s future. In another twist, Liisa divulges her own affair to Saara, who then uncovers Pertti’s notebook filled with details about 38 women, a shocking inventory that unsettles everyone. Pertti tries to explain that his interest in women is analytical and professional, but the tension explodes into a confrontation that leads to a charged encounter in Saara’s school ballroom.

As the two lovers juggle professional aims and personal loyalties, Sven and Ulla announce their upcoming marriage. Pertti steps in to pay for the marriage certificate and hosts a wedding lunch, even as the looming threat of a lawsuit for violating sexual discipline hangs over him. The film’s industry figure, Lennart Lauramaa, arrives to deliver the verdict: Pertti is facing legal action, a consequence that spurs him to flee the country and board a ship. Ulla and Sven also confront the legal pressure, but they navigate it by presenting their marriage certificate to prove the legitimacy of their bond.

Saara, not willing to let go, chases the ship by motorboat and finally confesses her deep love for Pertti. In a startling moment, she throws Pertti’s films into the sea, but he manages to salvage the negatives. On deck, the two exchange a defiant, intimate resolve. In the faces of their conflict and longing, Saara softly voices a provocative proposal, while Pertti counters with tempered passion. The moment ends with a shared, intimate devotion as the film closes on the refrain of a national melody, the Maamme song, underscoring a complex meditation on love, art, and the price of ambition.

“Let’s make porn together,” says Saara.

“Let’s make love first,” Pertti replies.