Review: Entrepreneur / SFF / Bill

Virpi Suutari’s documentary Entrepreneur tells the story of two very different Finnish businesses.

On one hand, we have Maija Itkonen and Reetta Kivela, two highly educated women from Helsinki, who have started a business selling a meat substitute made from vegetable proteins.

Over the course of the film, we see the duo deal with funding, global markets, manufacturing issues and so on.

On the other hand, we have Akseli Laine and his family, who travel around Finland in their meat van, as well as manage a pop-up funfair.

The lives of the different entrepreneurs are worlds apart, and seeing the comparison between them is fascinating. One minute you’re seeing the mass production and shipping of food to around the world, the next you’ll be watching a lonely van driving through the frozen wasteland of western Finland.

Something I found amazing about this film is how totally candid it managed to be. Everyone behaved and talked like there were no cameras in sight. It’s a shining example of fly-on-the-wall documentation.

Another thing to note is the cinematography; every shot seems perfectly angled and planned out, making it a pleasure to watch.

Entrepreneur
Sydney Film Festival

Bill Blake (13)