This is a biopic of Touko Laaksonen, who under his nom de plume 'Tom of Finland' is still famous over a quarter of a century after his death for his drawings of well-muscled, well-endowed, often overly-moustached young men. It starts with his experiences during the Second World War - killing a Russian military parachutist, and searching for sexual encounters in a park used by homosexuals that, judging from the number of uniformed extras also in the scene, was frequented by half the armed services of Finland. After the war his sister - who eventually loses a tug-of-love with Touko for the affections of a young male dancer - gets him an artist's job in an advertising agency, but it is of course his erotic art that gives him the most satisfaction. When a foreigner suggests he should market it, Touko opines that would be "easier in the Vatican" (the Finland of the 1950s was not the liberal place it is known as today), but then he decides to send some pictures to a magazine in the United States...
Pekka Strang, in the title role, I found competent but difficult to warm to - although this might be an accurate portrayal of the real Tom of Finland. Some characters - for instance, a couple of lovers whose invitation to the States Touko accepts - are introduced without any real explanation of who they are or their importance to Touko and his cause, which is puzzling to the viewer. But as a drama the film is interesting (the period detail is especially convincing) and worth watching even for those who, like me, find Tom of Finland's work a bit... obvious.
Pekka Strang, in the title role, I found competent but difficult to warm to - although this might be an accurate portrayal of the real Tom of Finland. Some characters - for instance, a couple of lovers whose invitation to the States Touko accepts - are introduced without any real explanation of who they are or their importance to Touko and his cause, which is puzzling to the viewer. But as a drama the film is interesting (the period detail is especially convincing) and worth watching even for those who, like me, find Tom of Finland's work a bit... obvious.