Markku Pölönen

Directing

Markku Pölönen

Born September 16, 1957 · Eno, Finland (age 69)

No biography available.

Known For

Land of HopeLand of Hope · 2018
Land of Hope
★ 6.92018
MovieHistoryDrama
Anni, a daughter of a wealthy family and used to secure life, falls in love with Veikko, a war invalid of the Continuation War. Anni leaves her past behind her and starts leading the life of a pioneer, in the wild forests of northern Karelia, in a settlement farm. After a rosy start, the fate crushes Anni’s dreams and her love for Veikko is put to a test.
The MatriarchThe Matriarch · 2007
The Matriarch
★ 6.42007
MovieComedyDrama
Martta and Otto are a pair of traveling tailors who claim to be bastard descendants of the Romanovs and wander from town to town in Finland seeking work, accompanied by their two half-witted adult sons, Hippo, Repe and equally silly son-in-law Ventti. The family occasionally turns to crime when they can't quite make ends meet, and the boys begin turning to violence with greater frequency when Otto weakens and Martta becomes the head of the family business. Their fortunes take an unexpected turn when the brothers assault and abduct a man they call Kaspar, who becomes the family's sidekick in their travels. Despite Kaspar's inability to speak, he attracts Martha's youngest daughter, an attractive young woman named Lara, but the family is in disarray when a long-lost half-brother, Laszlo, suddenly re-emerges and tries to wrest control of the clan away from his mother.
On the Road to EmmausOn the Road to Emmaus · 2001
On the Road to Emmaus
★ 6.22001
MovieComedyMusic
A cynical city dweller returns to his hometown to sell his family home, but becomes unexpectedly nostalgic.
The Last WeddingThe Last Wedding · 1995
The Last Wedding
★ 6.11995
MovieDramaComedy
Pekka arrives back to his home village of Jerusalem to celebrate the last wedding of the village. His own marriage seems to have reached a dead end. The people of the village gather to prepare for the event, and the bitter spectrum of all human life, with its joys and sorrows, is condensed into one summer's day.
BaddingBadding · 2000
Badding
★ 5.52000
MovieDrama
The life of Rauli "Badding" Somerjoki, a Finnish singer.
Rally On!Rally On! · 2009
Rally On!
★ 5.02009
MovieComedy
This rollicking sports comedy from Finnish director Markku Polonen follows the exploits of Seppo 'Sladi' Pesonen, an ex-top-tiered race car driver now reduced to instructing students at a driving school. To relieve the monotony of this undesired career, Pesonen builds "Team Susan," a road rally team based at Pekkarinen's Garage in the Finnish countryside. Soon, Sladi's nephew Luumu arrives from Helsinki and learns of the team, his enthusiasm skyrockets and he hops on board with the assist of mechanic Suko. Yet the men encounter Machiavellian sabotage at the hands of the vile Torppo, the owner of the lot that contains Pekkarinen's Garage, who is determined to interfere with the plans of Team Susan.
HamstersHamsters · 2023
Hamsters
★ 3.32023
MovieDramaComedy
A poor wild-life writer named Hamsteri, who is obsessed with natural disasters, lives in a wooden cottage in the countryside with his only friend, Minnie the mouse. In the village he is considered a bit odd and he is indeed special! When a lottery-winning family moves in next door, Hamsteri gets the hoarding opportunity of his dreams and in the process changes the course of the lives of Rurik, a bookkeeper who has lost his will to live, his wife Tellu and their children. Thus begins hoarding for what Hamsteri imagines will be "the cruellest winter ever".
Dog Nail ClipperDog Nail Clipper · 2004
Dog Nail Clipper
★ 6.92004
MovieDrama
Bright young soldier Mertsi suffers a permanent brain injury in the Second World War. In the late 1940s he wanders around the Finnish countryside looking for simple work and relying on other people's help. A workmate, Ville, tells him about his clever Spitz dog back home and the problems with her overlong dew claws. Together with his helpful war buddy Eetvi, Mertsi joins a lumber camp in the middle of a freezing winter, tries hard but finds the work there too strenuous for his body and mind. While he still sees nightmares about the war, in the daytime he keeps dreaming and worrying about the dog...

Filmography

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The MatriarchThe Matriarch · 2007
The Matriarch
★ 6.42007
MovieComedyDrama
Martta and Otto are a pair of traveling tailors who claim to be bastard descendants of the Romanovs and wander from town to town in Finland seeking work, accompanied by their two half-witted adult sons, Hippo, Repe and equally silly son-in-law Ventti. The family occasionally turns to crime when they can't quite make ends meet, and the boys begin turning to violence with greater frequency when Otto weakens and Martta becomes the head of the family business. Their fortunes take an unexpected turn when the brothers assault and abduct a man they call Kaspar, who becomes the family's sidekick in their travels. Despite Kaspar's inability to speak, he attracts Martha's youngest daughter, an attractive young woman named Lara, but the family is in disarray when a long-lost half-brother, Laszlo, suddenly re-emerges and tries to wrest control of the clan away from his mother.

Director