Jalmari Helander On Sisu: Road to Revenge: “F Off. It’s A Movie.”

Writer/Director Jalmari Helander discusses his new film Sisu: Road to Revenge including the biggest challenges and working with Jorma Tomilla again.

Sisu: Road to Revenge is a follow-up to Sisu, which became an unexpected and beloved hit. The new film, which premiered at Fantastic Fest, continues the story of an immortal one-man army’s journey home and it is an absolute blast.

Mama’s Geeky say down with director and writer Jalmari Helander to talks about his new movie. He discusses why Fantastic Fest is a great place to premiere it, reuniting with Jorma Tomilla, and bringing in Stephen Lang.

From Sisu to Sisu: Road to Revenge

Mama’s Geeky: What was your reaction to the reaction that Sisu got?

Jalmari Helander: I was really happy because no one knew how well it would work until you actually see it with an audience. So it was so great. And yesterday also, when we saw Sisu: Road to Revenge with an audience for the first time, I really liked it.

Mama’s Geeky: When did you start thinking about what the second film would be?

Jalmari Helander: Quite soon after Sisu. I had an idea, but I never spoke about it that much. But then Sony, when it started to go really well, wanted to have another one. I had ideas from the very beginning. I still have more ideas, but I’m not sure.

Mama’s Geeky: I love how Aatami is not superhuman per se, but it does go a little past believability.

Jalmari Helander: I’ve always been that kind of a guy who loves action films, and I hate having the conversation – even in school – when somebody was complaining about an action film that was so unrealistic and it could never happen. I’m like, “Fuck off.” It’s a movie. Because of that, I like to make those. We can set our own rules and do what the fuck we want.

Filming Stunts & Special Effects

Mama’s Geeky: What is it like filming a movie like this? I feel like it’s just going to be insane with all the different stunts, all the blood.

Jalmari Helander: It is messy.

Mama’s Geeky: Which stunt took the longest to get right?

Jalmari Helander: Actually, the one where Aatami throws the hand grenade at the front wheel of the motorbike. That was really hard to do. Surprisingly, sometimes they are things that you couldn’t expect.

Mama’s Geeky: Some of the long sequences, like when he’s going through the train and there’s all these actors and stunts happening, how many takes do you get for something like that?

Jalmari Helander: I called it a “blood disco” myself when we were shooting it because it was one take. You can always do just one because it was so full of squibs. To reset that is so expensive and time-consuming. You just have to hope it works. So it takes a long time to set it up, and then you basically have one take a day.

Mama’s Geeky: How many planes did you destroy while filming Sisu: Road To Revenge?

Jalmari Helander: We didn’t have any real planes. It’s all the effects. Of course, we have some plane parts when we see them up close or people being inside the plane and stuff like that. So they were basically quite easy to shoot because you just have to imagine it being there.

Creating the Emotional Core Of Sisu: Road To Revenge

Mama’s Geeky: I cried at the end of this movie. I didn’t expect that because you’re just having so much fun watching all this crazy stuff, and then there’s this deep, brief emotional moment that really… Can you talk about the importance of including something like that?

Jalmari Helander: Well, I’m really happy how it worked out because, for me, it’s one of the best scenes in the film. The final scene, which we can’t spoil, takes an unexpected turn in a way that Atami himself can’t handle because he’s not used to that kind of stuff. I found it really interesting because he’s used to people coming to him because it’s going to be a fucking fight. Someone’s trying to kill him. Always.

Mama’s Geeky: Can you talk about filming that scene?

Jalmari Helander: There were a lot of people crying when we did that scene, especially there. It was our first shooting day when Atami goes to his house, and he has the memories and the photos and stuff. Everyone was crying there. It was really emotional. I remember watching the Steadicam operator also crying.

Mama’s Geeky: Can you let me know what it was like when you called Jorma Tommila and told him you were going to do a second movie? Was he excited?

Jalmari Helander: Yeah, he was. He loved the idea also of having this more emotional cargo this time. Not a bag of gold but actually his home. He was really, really into it from the beginning.

Filming Underwater and Working with Stephen Lang

Mama’s Geeky: I want to talk about the water sequence, too. What is it like filming something like that? What logistics go into that?

Jalmari Helander: I fucking hate it. Shooting underwater is so annoying, time-consuming, really difficult, and I don’t recommend anyone to do it. It looks beautiful, but it’s really hard for everyone, especially the actor.

Mama’s Geeky: Can you talk about bringing in Stephen Lang? He’s great in this.

Jalmari Helander: Yeah, he was a really nice guy. We had a lot of fun with him. He’s also a professional sleeper. He can sleep anywhere.

Mama’s Geeky: He can? You’re blowing stuff up, and he’s taking a nap in the corner?

Jalmari Helander: Yeah.

The Fantastic Fest Experience

Mama’s Geeky: What is it about Fantastic Fest that makes this such a great place to play these movies?

Jalmari Helander: I don’t know what it is, but the mood yesterday was so cool that I wish I would have a video from the opposite side of the screen so I would just watch the reactions of everyone.

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