Tulipää (1980): Besetzung, Handlung & Streaming

Released in 1980, Tulipää is a drama film directed by Pekka Lehto, running about 155 minutes.

What it’s about. This biographical film celebrates the little-known life of the Finnish novelist and revolutionary Maiju Lassila (Asko Sarkola), born in 1868. Lassila's early years are briefly shown, then the film richly details his active and paradoxically reclusive adult life, beginning with his sojourn in St. Petersburg, working as a businessman. Unable to stay away from politics, he caused the assassination of a high-ranking Czarist and as a result, had to run back to Finland to hide. Once established in the comparative safety of a small village, he taught school in order to support his real vocation as a writer. Always living on the edge of poverty, if not square in the middle of it, Lassila continues to avoid public contact - he keeps his identity low-key and camoflages it by publishing under a variety of pseudonyms.

Who’s in it. Tulipää stars Asko Sarkola as Writer Algot Lassila, aka Maiju Lassila, aka Irmari Rantamala, Rea Mauranen as Olga Esempio, Kari Franck as Gunnar Avanto and Ari Suonsuu as Kalle, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 5.3/10, Tulipää has proved divisive with audiences.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Tulipää page.

If you liked it. Fans of Tulipää tend to enjoy Die Verurteilten, Der Pate, Schindlers Liste and Der Pate - Teil II.