Armotonta menoa - hoivatyön lauluja

Synopsis

Creeping privatisation of public services, budget cuts and increasing demand for social care are universal problems. This darkly humorous film by Susana Helke explores the state of the Finnish public care system, with employees trying to survive in conditions where efficiency and profits have become the most important values. Robots roam the halls of care homes and nurses are relegated to remote-care call centres. Here, care workers’ anonymous testimonies are composed into choral songs depicting the everyday experiences of those working in the field. A Greek chorus whose lyrics are composed of messages sent by care workers themselves. A documentary calling for greater humanity in social care at time when capitalism is swallowing everything in its path.

Bio/Filmo

Susanna Helke (Tempere, 1967) studied journalism and communication studies at the University of Tampere and photography and new media at the University of Art and Design, Helsinki. In 1996 she made the first of seven films with Virpi Suutari. Joutilaat (2001) was nominated for Best Documentary at the European Film Academy. Her 2006 PhD thesis explored the line between documentary and fiction. She taught for several years at the Film Department at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and since 2010 has taught documentary filmmaking at the University of Aalto. Her debut solo film, American Vagabond (2013), won awards at festivals in Chicago and Rochester and was screened at festivals worldwide, including IDFA in Amsterdam. Armotonta menoa - hoivatyön laulujaes is her latest work.