Welcome to the Wednesday Club, where even good friends hide dark secrets.
The film, set to shoot in 2026, is directed by Tove director Zaida Bergroth from a screenplay by Ville Virtanen and Berthi Wingreen. Virtanen, a veteran actor known for his role in Netflix's “Bordertown,” will next appear in Klaus Haro's upcoming drama “Never Alone.”
Based on Kjell Westoe's award-winning novel, the story is set in Helsinki in 1938. Just before World War II, Hitler's actions arouse both anger and admiration among the members of the gentlemen's club of the same name.
As lawyer Claes Thun's old friends gather in his office, his new secretary, Matilda Wik, recognizes a voice from her past. During the Finnish Civil War, she experienced horrors she was trying hard to forget. Now she faces her tormentor again, but he remains clueless.
“Kjell Westo is one of Finland’s most respected authors: he is a living legend,” said Oskarri Hotto, producer of Helsinki-based Lucy Loves Drama.
Oscar Hoto
Copyright: Frank Shopgins
“For us, adapting this novel is very important. And working with Zaida is very important. It is a very ambitious project: a ‘natural’ co-production between Scandinavian countries. It will be filmed in Swedish, and we have already had a lot of interest from international actors.”
The “smart thriller” will be screened at the co-production market in Haugesund during the New Nordic Filmmaking event. It will also present a new challenge for Bergworth, known for the 2020 Tove Jansson biopic “The Good Son” and “Miami.”
“I was more focused on character study. Here, we have a group of childhood friends and a sexy heroine, but there’s also a classic who-dunnit structure. I’ve never done anything like that before,” she admitted.
Despite its time frame, “The Wednesday Club” is sure to raise uncomfortable but timely questions.
“I want to feel the place close to us, as close as possible,” Bergroth promised.
“For me, that’s the only possible approach: I always need to make it personal and make the film feel like my own. There are all these parallels to the present; the war is so close, and it’s interesting to see what happens in this kind of political climate. Suddenly, we’re willing to bend so many principles – even when it comes to human rights,” she said, referring to a new law that allows Finland to reject asylum seekers on its eastern border with Russia, which made her feel “disturbed.”
“What are we willing to sacrifice? It’s a complicated question, but even when we’re concerned about the safety of our nation, we have to keep our heads clear. That’s why this film is so interesting. We don’t know what kind of historical ‘edge’ we’re on now and in the past, and neither do they.”
“These bold elements make the movie feel modern,” Hutto added. “It’s not a period movie. These friends are constantly arguing about politics and we see that kind of division everywhere now.”
“I grew up in a place known as the ‘skinhead capital of Finland.’ It was all about ‘us’ versus ‘them.’ I started to wonder how I managed to pick a side. But if I had been in Europe in the 1930s, knowing what people knew at the time, which side would I have chosen?”
Their torn heroine Matilda, who is contemplating revenge, will also need to make her decision.
“When there’s a threat, it’s very easy to respond to violence with violence. So what are you going to do?” Hutto scoffed, as Bergroth turned to a suspense expert for guidance.
“Alfred Hitchcock was so important to me when I first got into filmmaking. I can't believe I've finally been able to play with all of this. It's a new kind of challenge and something I feel is really important,” she noted.
I think [this story] “This issue will resonate with others because all these nationalist forces have been rearing their heads around the world. It is a local issue, but it is certainly a global one.”
