LYNX MAN
Finland, Estonia 2023
80 minutes
directed by: Juha Suonpää
This is one of the films that deal with the burning issues of today. We are in the middle of a process of galloping disappearance of priceless and irreplaceable living species on the planet. This film conveys that knowledge in such an extraordinary way that it triggers in us the deepest degree of despair, but also the need to oppose this disappearance.
We identify with the main character Hanu, who lives on the edge of the forest and he is in a constant and uninterrupted relationship with its inhabitants. He is primarily associated with the endangered lynx, with whom he has developed deep inner connection during many years of observation and assistance. Thanks to the masterly designed interweaving of scenes of everyday reality and scenes captured by surveillance cameras, which Hanu disguised in the forest in order to follow the movements of animals, especially lynxes, during the day and the night, we are almost hypnotized, but also deeply moved. We are faced with what is not part of our experience, but is an important part of life unknown to us that is almost hidden from our consciousness in everyday life. The film is a great combination of completely different visual impressions from the familiar colour of reality, through specially emphasized colour images of flickering daytime scenes that highlight the unsurpassed beauty of lynxes and other inhabitants of the forest, to night shots of an active and disturbing, often endangered life on the alert. Eyes of lynxes and other creatures shine in the dark creating impressions which intensely wake up our senses.
This is a dramatic and exciting film testimony about Hanu's intimate participation in the life of the lynxes, observing each of them as a person with its own name, recognizable character, but also doomed to an uncertain almost hopeless fate due to cruelty of the men hunters. Hanu's person is almost fused with the being of the lynx, making him a unique lynx whisperer.
A stunning documentary film noir that creates exciting twists and surprises.
Born in 1963. He is an Adjunct professor in Art, Environmental and Nature Photography (Lapland University), Doctor of Arts (Aalto University/UIAH) and a Master of Education (Tampere University). Suonpää works as the principal lecturer of visual culture in the international Degree programme in Media and Arts at Tampere University of Applied Sciences, School of Art, Music and Media (TAMK). He has worked as a Head of Fine Art department, Head of the Fine Art Degree Programme and as an Academy Research Fellow. At the moment he is Senior Academy researcher and project manager in Finnish Academy CICAT2025 project, and Virtual Medicine ESR EU-project. He has exhibited internationally and made documentary films, published numerous academic monographs and articles and researched, for example, topics related to photography, visualizing science and the construction of the identity of a place. Because of his work on the field of art and science, he was awarded with high Finnish national awards.
