Letters to Father Jacob

Leila comes out of a life sentence on an unexpected pardon. She has nowhere to go. A job is found for her at a parsonage in the countryside: she is to assist a blind priest. Father Jacob spends his days reading and answering letters from people asking him for help. Leila finds this pointless and starts reading the letters reluctantly. One day the postman stops coming. Klaus Härö's film is seventy-six minutes long and takes place almost entirely between two people. It has the plainness particular to this strand of Finnish cinema: little talk, a still camera, rain outside. The reason the letters stopped is not what the priest assumes, and the whole weight of the film is there. Kaarina Hazard and Heikki Nousiainen carry both parts without pressing. The production was Finland's Oscar submission that year and found an unexpected audience at home.