The Helsinki International Film Festival is upon us again, and its lineup is as exciting and surprising as ever. Luckily, I've had the fortune of seeing a bunch of the films in advance at Cannes and SXSW this past year, and I come bearing recommendations of ten films you shouldn't miss.
Each recommendation comes with a link to my review and the festival site in English, where you can purchase tickets starting 2.9.2026 for the gala screenings and 4.9.2026 for all others.
Hope
At this point, I think I've spent more time talking about and recommending Hope than any other film this year. But it's all for a good reason: Hope is one of the most audacious, exciting, and wonderfully bizarre films I've seen in a long time.
It's part Jaws, part Office Space, with a little helping of District 9, yet even that doesn't do it justice. For nearly three hours, it takes viewers on an exquisite ride, one where you'll never guess what happens next.
Just do yourself and me a favor: Don't read anything more about it, and definitely don't watch the trailer. Go in blind, and you'll have the time of your life.
My review & tickets:
Joonatan Itkonen
La Bola Negra
The Opening Gala for HIFF is special: La Bola Negra profoundly shook me to my core when I saw it at Cannes earlier in the spring. This masterful exploration of generational trauma, kindness in the face of overwhelming evil, and sexual discovery is a majestic experience, one that must be had in the cinema.
My review & tickets:
Joonatan Itkonen
Elephants in the Fog
One of the more demanding films this year is the impossibly rich and heartbreaking Elephants in the Fog, which I still can't believe is a feature debut. This poignant but small-scale drama of a found family searching for their lost daughter gives us a glimpse into the lives of the Kinnar community, a recognized third gender in Nepal, and every minute feels like a gift. It helps us understand the world a little better.
My review & tickets:
Joonatan Itkonen
The Samurai and the Prisoner
Kiyoshi Kurosawa is a masterful filmmaker, writer, lecturer, and teacher. His ability to transform alongside his material has to be seen to be believed. Throughout his long career, Kurosawa has made horror films, thrillers, dramas, and almost everything in between. Now, he turns his hand to a historical epic, and still manages to wrestle it into a shape and style that is uniquely his.
Part Agatha Christie, part Kurosawa, and consistently engaging across its expansive runtime, The Samurai and the Prisoner is old-school in style, but new and innovative everywhere else.
My review & tickets:
Joonatan Itkonen
Good Boy
Featuring one of the greatest leading performances in horror film history, Good Boy is a chilling portrait of love and death told through the eyes of a devoted pet, who tries to keep his human safe from visions neither of them can understand.
Animal lovers should be warned: Good Boy is not an easy watch, even though almost all the violence is insinuated and rarely seen. But sometimes, even the thought is enough, and there is plenty of heartbreak to go around even without bloodshed.
My review & tickets:
Joonatan Itkonen
The Beloved
Another Cannes favorite, The Beloved showcases the masterful performances of Vicky Luengo and Javier Bardem, who are captivating, repellent, heartbreaking, and intoxicating all at once. Like Sentimental Value, which also plays at the festival, The Beloved is all about the healing power of art. Unlike Sentimental Value, it is far more bittersweet, and not entirely convinced that we can ever move past our inner demons.
My review & tickets:
Joonatan Itkonen
Nagi Notes
This tender little drama didn't entirely win me over, but I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since I saw it. Expertly acted and deliberately paced, it's a charming story of love, forgiveness, and gentle acts of kindness in a world removed from the uncaring bustle of modernity. If cozy dramas are your thing, Nagi Notes delivers in spades.
My review & tickets:
Joonatan Itkonen
Iron Boy
Here is a tremendous work of handcrafted art, one that defies all expectation at every turn. It is a coming-of-age film, a love story, and even, at times, a sports film. Yet, in a way, it's none of those at all. But it is unique, and uniquely beautiful, as this watercolor dream created almost entirely by a single artist comes and goes like a beautiful memory of childhood, and leaves a lasting mark on everyone who sees it.
My review & tickets:
Joonatan Itkonen
Congo Boy
A rags-to-rags story that rejects sentimentality and fakery, Congo Boy is a delight that never feeds viewers saccharine lies when brutal honesty will do. Expertly told, even if its structure will test the patience of those expecting something more traditional, this fantastic feature debut is exuberantly full of life and optimism, even at times when all other hope has faded.
My review & tickets:
Joonatan Itkonen
Paper Tiger
James Gray is one of my favorite American filmmakers, and his latest is a classically great and expertly crafted Greek tragedy about the perversion of the American dream. Beautifully acted by its leading trio, this is one of those films anyone can appreciate thanks to its nuanced storytelling and elegant composition. It doesn't do anything new, but that's hardly a complaint when everything else is this exceptional.
My review & tickets:
Joonatan Itkonen
