A tonsured neo-Nazi returns home to his mother, but all he finds in her apartment is his psychotic brother and lots of raw meat. The mother is gone, the brother says, she’s probably out bowling. But her bowling bag is still in the apartment.

It all seems rather suspicious, but in the end there’s good explanation for the whole wretched business. An hilarious explanation that turns the film’s whole universe upside down.

Mother Doesn’t Bowl Anymore is the name of Teemu Nikki’s contribution to the DVD Funny Films of the North that Rushprint has produced in cooperation with three other Nordic film magazines.

The director tells about his film, which with a sense of self-irony combines splatter film and comedy. Just like he himself did in the documentary Playing God about his own failed attempt at making the first Finnish slasher film.

– Teemu Nikki, how did you come up with the idea for Mother Doesn’t Bowl Anymore, and under what circumstances did it come into being?

– In the beginning it was a story about a father, a son and a missing mother. First I wanted to make a thriller, but when I made the main characters neo-Nazies and brothers it started to turn into a black comedy. I’m happy it turned out as a comedy with some thriller elements.

– What were your intentions with Mother Doesn’t Bowl Anymore?

– The idea was to have a main character, whom the audience would hate in the beginning and understand in the end.

– Are you inspired by any specific artists or works?

– Not that much, no. I like Kubricks work, but I also enjoy less important films. If there’s a story I’m interested.

– What was the greatest challenge about making Mother Doesn’t Bowl Anymore, artistically as well as practicallly?

– The lack of money. The film was shot in one and a half day.

– Do you think that there exists a particular Nordic humour?

– Perhaps. I just haven’t seen it. We are dead serious.

– What reactions do you wish to provoke in the audience with Mother Doesn’t Bowl Anymore?

– Even bad people are just mama’s boys like the rest of us.

– How do you regard the result and how was it received?

– Some love it, others hate it. The neo-Nazi theme seemed to be too much for some people, they thought the film was racist.

– What projects are you currently working on?
– A feature film called 3 Simons. It’s a comedy about two thieves. They try to steal a single mother’s jewellery by acting as the missing father of her son.

– What do you think of the current state of Finnish film?
– It’s not that good. The scripts suck.
 

By Mads Suldrup and Thomas S. Sejersen / Filmmagasinet Ekko

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