The Blue Mammy

A deaf painter in the countryside talks to an angel, hears heavenly music, and attempts to fulfil his destiny, despite the pressures of family and society. At first glance, Sininen imettäjä may seem an outlier in the filmography of Lehmuskallio. It is not: the reflections regarding the meaning of art and the role of the artist are central to the director’s thought. The Finnish painter Niilo Hyttinen co-wrote the script and played the main part in this film, which was inspired by his works. Shockingly unnoticed at the time of release, it certainly is one of the rediscoveries of the year.