Emil Sallinen, Artur Sallinen
Unesta tehty mies
Showings
- Sat 14.11.2026 · 12.00 · Tapio 4
Theme: Rokumentti Selection
94 min • Finland • 2026 • K7
Language: Finnish • Subtitles: No subtitles
It is me, a man made of dreams
There is something in composer Aulis Sallinen’s music that even those closest to him have never quite reached. His grandsons, documentary filmmakers Emil and Artur Sallinen, turn to his music in search of a deeper understanding of their grandfather. The key lies in his breakthrough opera The Horseman, which premiered in 1975, exploring war, trauma, Finnish identity and the subconscious.
Having grown up in wartime Karelia, Aulis recalls feeling no fear, even while fleeing bombings. But what lies hidden beneath those memories? In The Horseman, a soldier returns from war unable to find his place in the world, and his story begins to echo the composer’s own past.
Blending archive footage, interviews, dramatisations and opera, the film explores the lasting impact of war across generations. How much of our past do we still carry within us?
