RCB Film Club is concluding its movie programme for this year with a screening of Tove, at RCB Forum, 2nd floor of River City Bangkok, Charoen Krung 24, on Saturday at 4pm.
Directed by Zaida Bergroth, the movie is a biopic of Tove Jansson, the Swedish-speaking Finnish artist, author and illustrator best known for the wonderful Moomin comic strips that made her globally famous. At its peak, Moomin appeared in over 40 countries and in around 120 papers, and had a daily readership of around 20 million, making it the most successful Finnish comic strip ever published.
The movie begins with Tove experimenting with different art forms in the years following the aftermath of World War II. Her foremost quest was freedom, and so she worked in every medium available to her -- across painting, portraiture and illustration -- much to the disappointment of her conservative father, a well-known sculptor. She came into her own when her illustrations, the Moomin characters, were brought to life on the pages of her comic strips, which kids loved.
The film also explores her personal life, in which, on that same quest for freedom, she experiments with male and female relationships. Her bisexuality added to her iconoclastic reputation.
The film ends with Tove winning her first mega contract with the London Evening News, which at that time was the world's largest newspaper, and her syndicated comics disseminated to millions of readers in numerous countries.
Tove, a huge box office hit at home, also made waves at international film festivals and has been sold to 50 territories around the world. The movie was Finland's Oscar nomination in 2020. It comes with English and Thai subtitles.
Finland's Ambassador Jyri Jarviaho will introduce the film and host a reception after the screening. The Moomin Café in Bangkok will distribute cookies and Moomin stuffed toys will be on display and sale.
Tickets cost 100 baht, available at ticketmelon.com/rivercitybangkok/rcbfilmfinland.
Email rcbfilmclub@gmail.com.
