Any suggestion that Dome Karukoski’s film biography of artist Touko Laaksonen traffics in stereotypes can be addressed by the fact that Laaksonen essentially created many of those stereotypes. The story follows Laaksonen (Pekka Strang) over more than 40 years, from his World War II service to years as a closeted gay man in Finland while working in advertising, through his rise to underground international fame under the pseudonym "Tom of Finland," creating gay fetish illustrations that shaped images of the mustachioed “leather daddy.” Karukoski treads through a lot of familiar territory in such stories—avoiding detection by authorities, dealing with family members who don’t understand—while introducing unique dynamics like an awkward romantic triangle involving Laaksonen’s sister (Jessica Grabowsky) and young dancer Veli (Lauri Tilkanen). But while much of the appeal here is of the historical “betcha didn’t know” variety about Laaksonen himself, Strang plays an effective character arc of a man who doesn’t realize that despite insisting “I’m not a freedom fighter,” his art is a political act. The movie itself is rarely groundbreaking art, but works at shining a light on Laaksonen’s.
By
Scott Renshaw