The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki

Hymyilevä mies

Juho Kuosmanen’s delightful biographical comedy-drama focuses on the life of the unassuming Finnish boxer Olli Mäki.

  • Director

    Juho Kuosmanen

  • With

    Jarkko Lahti, Oona Airola, Eero Milonoff

  • Finland 2016. 93min

  • Digital

  • Certificate

    12A

  • English subtitles

It’s 1962 and Olli Mäki, a professional boxer from the Finnish town of Kokkola, is given a shot at the featherweight world title match at the Helsinki Olympics. Mäki is the underdog, but that might play in his favour, as he nears one of the biggest sporting events in Finnish history. A television crew are documenting Mäki’s every move. But his relationship with Raija is proving too much a distraction for his manager. Compartment No. 6 director Kuosmanen’s feature debut is one of the boxing genre’s understated delights.

The screening of The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki on Friday 17 April will be introduced by season curator Dr Clive Chijioke Nwonka.