Filmmaker Karin Pennanen has said that this film chose her; it needed to be made and everything else had to be put aside. Days of Wonder tells the story of Pennanen’s uncle Markku, who was important and dear to her, but lived most of his life secluded from the world outside. After Markku’s death, a huge amount of his diverse artworks were found: paintings, photographs, collage works, music, videos. Also piles and piles of cassette tapes containing recordings of Markku’s phone calls, which revealed a poignant and important side of Markku’s life.
The material of the film is plentiful and varied, from the wild and wacky self-portraits and videos to animations and musings on humanity and worlds far away from us. The music of the film is also by Markku. Days of Wonder is visually rich, painting a portrait of a talented man and an original mind.
While unraveling the life of his uncle Pennanen has to ask a lot of questions from her own parents, herself as well as Markku, shaping the film into a kind of a beautiful dialogue between the director and her subject ja elokuvasta muodostuu eräänlainen ohjaajan ja kohteensa välinen kaunis vuoropuhelu. Mysteries are also left hanging in the air. The picture put together from pieces left behind depicts the uncle’s unexplained longing to a “real home”, lending him a mystical aura. As Pennanen also asks: ”Where did you go, Markku?” (Mervi Herranen)
Language: Finnish, subtitles: English
In the presence of Karin Pennanen
