“Death is a Problem for the Living”, interview with actors Pekka Strang and Jari Virman

November 8, 2023

An Unlikely Friendship in a Dark Comedy

"Death is a Problem for the Living", interview with actors Pekka Strang and Jari Virman Federica Scarpa

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From director Teemu Nikki (known for “Euthanizer“ and “The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic“), “Death is a Problem for the Living” an irreverent, very dark comedy, in competition at the 18th Rome Film Festival. The film features two gravediggers entangled in shady dealings and facing numerous family problems.

Heart and Brain

Risto and Arto, the two protagonists of the film “Death is a Problem for the Living”, could be said that they are complementary characters. Risto is a compulsive gambler who, due to his vice, risks losing his family and job. At the same time, Arto discovers during a medical examination that he was born with 85% less brain than the average, leaving him feeling empty.

Risto doesn’t know how to use his heart, and Arto has little brain. Yet, as explained by the two actors portraying them, Pekka Strang and Jari Virman, one must look beyond the simple categorizations of “either this or that” to understand Risto and Arto truly. They are two men desperately seeking salvation and escaping their difficult circumstances.

Like Bradley and Gaga

Pekka Strang and Jari Virman tell us that the key to the film, the friendship between Risto and Arto, was born from the great chemistry created on set: “You know when you watch a great movie, like ‘A Star is Born,’ for example, and you think, ‘Oh, Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper had great chemistry’? Well, it went something like that between us.”

The film is distributed by I Wonder Pictures.

Plot

Everything went wrong for Risto and Arto: the first one works as an undertaker, suffers from gambling addiction, and has a troubled marriage. The second one, ever since he discovered he was born with 85% less brain, has been abandoned by everyone. Together, they clumsily seek a solution to their lives.

Written by: Federica Scarpa

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Death is a Problem for the Living

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Festa del Cinema di Roma

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“Death is a Problem for the Living”, interview with actors Pekka Strang and Jari Virman