Eila

Running time: 94 mins

As gritty and uncondescending as the movies of Ken Loach (My Name Is Joe, Sweet Sixteen), Eila displays enormous power in a woman's battle for justice and dignity. Based on true events, it is a bracing tribute to the strength of humanity in even the bleakest of situations. For Eila, life boils down to cleaning the floors of a government building and making sure her delinquent son keeps out of trouble. Things change when, unjustly laid off from her job, she finds the strength to join her colleagues in striking for better working conditions and bringing action against the State. Eila's journey, however, has just begun. Eila is the story of the strength and courage of a woman who ventures to take a risk, as an employee, as a loving woman and as a mother. Showcasing a harsh yet humanistic type of realism, director Jarmo Lampela's Elia is a superb example of the current wave of social consciousness in Finnish cinema. In its title character, the film flies a flag for human dignity and finds an inspiring protagonist with enough backbone to put Erin Brockovich to shame. - Fernando F. Croce