Perhaps the most eventful period of Tove Jansson's life came during her relationships with Vivica Bandler and Atos Virtanen, and it is this period that forms the basis of this biographical film.

On May 27, the film “Tove” hits Russian theaters, dedicated to the famous Finnish writer Tove Jansson, who gained worldwide fame through her illustrated books about the Moomins. But director Zaida Bergroth chose not to make a typical biopic recounting the events of the artist and writer’s life; instead, she attempts to use her example to show the role freedom—in all its meanings and manifestations—plays for a creative person.

Freedom of Creativity

The events of the film “Tove” unfold in post-war Finland, where the daughter of a renowned sculptor immerses herself in the bohemian world of creativity, mingling with other artists, writers, and theater people, and trying to achieve success through painting.

In her free time from working on classical subjects and painting municipal buildings, Tove creates amusing caricature sketches, which she nevertheless puts aside. Despite her father, a proponent of traditional art, urging her to stop idling and pursue real art.

From the very exposition, it becomes clear that the story is about a freedom-loving person who does not want to exist within the strictly defined boundaries set by their surroundings. About a creator who will eventually capture attention through their unconventionality. About someone who has something to say and show to the world.

Interestingly, Zaida Bergroth intertwines the motives of striving for creative liberation with Tove Jansson’s romantic pursuits, where freedom also plays a nearly key role.

Freedom of Love

As is known, Jansson was a representative of non-traditional sexual orientation, and among her romantic interests were journalist and official Atos Virtanen and theater director Vivica Bandler. A large portion of the film’s runtime is dedicated to her relationships with these two people, as both played crucial roles in her life. Vivica, for instance, helped Tove believe in her strange drawings and later staged a play based on her story.

To properly assess what happens on screen, one must understand the context of Finnish society at that time, with its fairly liberal morals. It is not strange that conventions (even marriage) played almost no role in relationships between people. A vivid illustration of this is the scene where Tove herself proposes marriage to Atos, or the passionate same-sex yet ambiguous relationship between her and Vivica.

Freedom of Self-Determination

Only after figuring out what creativity means to her and understanding what kind of love she needs does Tove become the person known to all subsequent generations of Finns and devoted fans of her work.

Perhaps this is the main idea of Bergroth’s film. In this context, it works well, simultaneously providing food for thought and showing Jansson not as an outstanding creative figure, but as a person searching for herself and her purpose.

Should You Watch the Film “Tove”?

If you have never heard of Tove Jansson, even a Wikipedia article will seem more informative and concise than Zaida Bergroth’s film. The picture is a modest and unhurried work, where the sincerity and intimacy of the events, along with a not-so-obvious angle for studying the biography of the legendary writer and her path to fame, are appealing. Not a masterpiece, but it does not claim to be one.

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