赛车手

Finnish new-waver Risto Jarva sends up his fellow countrymen’s obsession with driving motor vehicles to destruction in this elegantly tasteless comedy, taking a few pops at his fellow filmmakers’ pretensions along the way. And if some petrolheads don’t quite see the joke, at least they have a chance to wallow in the newsreel footage of vintage rally cars and the glossy magazine ads of the time.
　　Plot: Lasse and Marja are a husband-and-wife rally team. Lasse shows a spousal concern over Marja’s tendency to put the car on its roof when she’s behind the wheel. Clearly a better (not to say more expendable) driver is needed. Enter honest young mechanic Tapsa. Could this lead to a love triangle of all things?!
　　Black-and-white rallying footage contrasts with knowingly bold (cf. Marnie etc.) symbolic colours for the emotional drama. Indoors the camerawork is fly-on-the wall, outdoors it has a pleasingly light style, and on the soundtrack solemn operatics clash with frivolous country ditties. Petrol in the Veins is great fun, with an all-time classic ending.