Interview with Siiri Halko, director of Haikara

How would you introduce the film to somebody who hasn’t seen it?
Haikara is an absurd yet realistic film about the troubles of trying to find the right way of saying goodbye.

 What did you wish to explore through the relationship between Veikka and his father
Veikka and Kari have a kind of relationship in which feelings have never been verbalised before: no “I love you”s or “I’m so proud of you”s. The relationship is self-evident and that’s how it’s always been. This has worked just fine until the day Veikka realises that to get a proper goodbye something needs to be said. I think this can be a very fragile and awkward thing to do and I was curious about the shift in dynamics when this is attempted. Also, I wanted to see how Veikka and Kari handle the situation, since being direct hasn’t been an option for either of them before.

What does the baby on the crane embody in the story?
Well, I think it’s a part of the world where Veikka and Kari live in: one day you might find a baby in a crane and then you just have to know how to adapt to the new situation. Life can throw you the weirdest obstacles sometimes. Also, since it’s obvious that the baby is everyone’s number 1 priority, Veikka now needs extra courage to open his mouth about his own feelings. It can be a very traumatic experience watching someone get saved; you want to cheer for the baby but while everyone else does so, they also turn their backs on Veikka.

What does the French man shouting on the construction site represent?
Everyone at the construction site is lost, in one way or another. Nobody really knows how they ended up there and neither does the French man. You can’t always choose your family and as chaotic and random as it might be, you just have to work it out. I wanted to show a group of people who seem like an odd bunch but who still stick together in their own way.

What do you think the future holds for short films?
I have no idea, I don’t even know what the future holds for anyone right now. I think we need to keep on doing things that keep us connected with each other and short films might have a place in that picture.

If we were to go back into lockdown, what cultural delights would you recommend to alleviate our boredom?
Hmm. There’s a playlist of Olivia Colman’s acceptance speeches from awards she won with The Favourite. You can find it on YouTube, that always cheers me up.

Haikara is part of International Competition I9.