Finnish Writer-Director Aino Suni on her Feature Debut ‘Heartbeast,’ a Queer Love Story with a Dark Twist
Alissa Simon Film CriticHelsinki-based helmer-writer Aino Suni makes her feature debut with “Heartbeast,” a queer love story with a dark twist about a Finnish teen whose mother moves her to France.
It world premieres in Nordic competition at this year’s Göteborg Festival.What inspired the story?Suni: The documentary “Never Again” I made about Finnish rapper Mercedes Bentso definitely gave me a lot of inspiration.
Mercedes Bentso, one of my closest friends today, uses rap as a way to express even the darkest emotions, fears, wants and the most forbidden fantasies, as does Elina, the protagonist of “Heartbeast.”It’s personally important for me to tell stories about queer people.
It’s part of my own self-expression and answers my own need to see women loving women on the screen. But the fact that the story has a dark quality has nothing to do with being queer.
