‘Little Siberia’ Netflix Movie Review - Who’s Your Daddy?!

A meteorite lands in the small Finnish town of Hurmevaara, and on the same night, the local pastor, Joel (Eero Ritala), has sex with his wife, Krista (Malla Malmivaara). What's the connection between the two events? Both are seen as miracles by the characters in Dome Karukoski's Little Serbia (Original title: Pikku Siperia). The mayor thinks the meteorite is precious and puts it inside a museum. Joel, the man of god, volunteers to be the security guard at the museum. A precious object, after all, needs to be protected. Some thieves try to steal the meteorite, but Joel manages to keep the rock safe. He is an Army veteran. Joel suffered serious injuries during his military days, which is why he is now impotent. Krista isn't aware of this impotence. Joel fears that the truth might damage their marriage. And yet, Krista gives him the good news one day. She informs him that she is pregnant. Joel, at first, happily embraces his wife and then realizes that such a thing cannot happen. Hence, he goes to a doctor to seek a second opinion and finds out that, yes, he's still impotent. So, how did Krista get pregnant? Did she cheat on her husband? Is this a blessing, a gift, a miracle from the god himself? Is it possible that the meteorite is indeed magical?

Tarvainen (Tommi Korpela) thinks so. He is adamant that the meteorite that crashed down onto the roof of his car should rightfully belong to him. He is one of the thieves who tries to steal the meteorite. The identity of the other criminals, or at least the question regarding who the mastermind behind the crime is, is made clear long before the film's climax. It isn't very difficult to recognize the crime boss. Even Joel gets an idea through his nose. Krista is a dance teacher, and one of the men who is her student is a bodybuilder who clearly has a crush on her. There is another man who frequently visits Joel's house to speak with Krista. Could either of them be the father? The local bartender, Karolina (Jenni Banerjee), tries to seduce the pastor. Will Joel give in to temptation and violate one of the Ten Commandments?

I think I have covered most of the elements related to the plot. Usually, I avoid such lengthy plot discussions, but there is nothing worth talking about in Little Serbia. It's...a Netflix film designed just to feed the algorithm. The rhythms are wildly off, and the "jokes" put you to sleep in this comedy thriller. Karukoski doesn't even have the gift to make a dialogue flow smoothly. A guy named Petar (Rune Temte) blabbers on and on about climate change, overpopulation, and global warming, and we, like Joel, get bored and feel the urge to put a tape on his lips. His rants are supposed to be funny, but Karukoski doesn't seem to have the intuition, the instinct for comedy. He misses a solid opportunity during a chase sequence where exciting music runs in the background while the characters, due to the snow, run slowly and clumsily. Humor could have been mined from the difference between the visual and the music, but Karukoski immediately ends the scene. Judging on the basis of this film, the director comes across as conservative. He only hints at racy, sensual, immoral things. In the end, he settles for religious virtues and morality. His faith in miracles and Jesus shines more brightly through this film. The story, on the other hand, appears dull and dim. The world is on fire, but Karukoski tells us that god will fix everything. People like Petar who talk about climate change are just being clowns. Go to church and let Jesus handle all the calamities.

Final Score- [3/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times