The Harvest Month

The film is set in Finland. At its centre is a man called Viktor Sundvall. Viktor is a canal keeper. He lives with his family. He is fond of drink. The account follows a single Saturday. It is a stifling day in August. Viktor passes the day at cards. His mind is somewhere else. He takes shelter in his memories and in dreams that never came true. That day an unexpected guest arrives at the house. The guest is called Maija. Maija and Viktor were close in their youth. Her husband does not turn up that day. The air in the house changes with the visit. The film was adapted from a novel by F. E. Sillanpää. Toivo Mäkelä and Emma Väänänen take the leads in Matti Kassila’s Finnish film of 1956.