M/S Romantic

M/S Romantic
GenreBlack comedy
Drama
Created byJani Volanen
Tommi Korpela
Written byJani Volanen
Tommi Korpela
Directed byJani Volanen
StarringHannu-Pekka Björkman
Anna Paavilainen
Antti Luusuaniemi
Antti Tuomas Heikkinen
Annika Aapalahti
Sami Ahonen
Lotta Kaihua
Joel Hirvonen
Santeri Kinnunen
Iivo Tuuri
Vilma Sippola
Amos Brotherus
Tommi Korpela
Petteri Pennilä
Pirjo Lonka
Elena Leeve
Miila Virtanen
Anna-Sofia Tuominen
Tomi Salmela
Milla Palin
Country of originFinland
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes4
Production
ProducersMarko Talli, Olli Haikka
CinematographyTeppo Högman
EditorJussi Rautaniemi
Running time59–73 minutes
Production companyYellow Film & TV
Original release
NetworkYle TV1
Yle Areena
Release24 February (2019-02-24) –
17 March 2019 (2019-03-17)

M/S Romantic is a Finnish four-part black comedy miniseries created by Jani Volanen and Tommi Korpela. Volanen directed the series alone. The four-part M/S Romantic depicts one day aboard a cruise ship traveling between Helsinki and Stockholm. The series aired on Yle TV1 from 24 February to 17 March 2019, and all episodes were simultaneously released on the streaming service Yle Areena on 24 February.

The first episode was watched by 574,000 people on television and had over 350,000 views on Yle Areena by 6 March 2019.[1] M/S Romantic won the 2019 Golden Venla for Best Drama Series. Additionally, Jani Volanen received the Best Director Venla, Volanen and Korpela jointly won Best Writer Venlas, and Hannu-Pekka Björkman was awarded Best Actor.[2]

The series' budget was €1,221,058, of which €100,000 was funded by the Finnish Film Foundation.[3]

Plot

The series follows six intertwined stories taking place on a cruise ship over one day between Helsinki and Stockholm. The manic cruise director Joakim "Jocke" Stenroos (Hannu-Pekka Björkman) returns to work prematurely after the birth of his fourth child, trying to keep demanding passengers satisfied and the ship in perfect order. His task proves difficult as he clashes with crew members, including the apathetic cruise hostess Jenna (Anna Paavilainen) and cynical pub troubadour Mike (Tomi Salmela).

Other storylines include bachelor friends Kaide (Antti Luusuaniemi) and Emppu (Antti Tuomas Heikkinen) hunting for one-night stands, shy entrepreneur Matias (Petteri Pennilä) seeking love during a speed dating event, and Veli Kallio (Santeri Kinnunen) taking his six-year-old nephew Samu (Iivo Tuuri) on a "men's trip." Teenagers Annika (Vilma Sippola) and Kaapo (Amos Brotherus) seek alcohol and freedom aboard, while newlyweds Pike (Annika Aapalahti) and Jamo (Sami Ahonen) deal with tensions, exacerbated by attempts from singer Gusu (Tommi Korpela) to seduce Pike.[4]

Cast

Reception

Helsingin Sanomat's Laura Kytölä praised the series for capturing Finnishness with dark undertones, comparing it to Jani Volanen's earlier works, Ihmebantu (2009) and Häiriötekijä (2013, 2015). She commended the series' weaving of six storylines into a cohesive narrative.[5]

Awards

  • Golden Venla: Best Drama Series 2020
  • Best Director Venla
  • Best Writer Venla
  • Best Actor (Hannu-Pekka Björkman)

[6]

References

  1. ^ Nita Makkonen (7 March 2019). "Producer Reveals How Yle's TV Sensation Was Created – It Initially Garnered No Interest but Received a €1.2 Million Budget". Ilta-Sanomat. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Here Are the Venla Winners – M/S Romantic Won Four Awards!". Iltalehti. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  3. ^ "M/S Romantic". Finnish Film Foundation. Archived from the original on 25 February 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  4. ^ "M/S Romantic Presents Six Stories of Joy and Misfortune – A Miniseries on a Cruise Ship and Finnish Psyche". yle.fi. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  5. ^ "M/S Romantic and Finnish Psyche". yle.fi. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  6. ^ "Golden Venla Winners 2020". Iltalehti. Retrieved 18 January 2020.

M/S Romantic at IMDb