Giant's Kettle

Somewhere up north at the age of peak modern there is a man longing for connection but unable to break loose, and a woman feeling alien to the world, which has everything figured out for her, without her.

They make their best to fit in and fulfill their roles but struggle to connect with the world, themselves and others. Something important is missing. As if the whole world was drained of love, chugging along on mere duties and bureaucratic inertia, passing over the baggage of the generations.

During the family trip back to the past everything starts to break apart. For how long is it possible to resist the force of life?

Giant’s Kettle is a journey into the unconscious, a love story without love, an epic tragicomedy of the mundane, and a mystery in a world emptied of mystery.

  • Markku Hakala
    Director
  • Mari Käki
    Director
  • Markku Hakala
    Writer
  • Mari Käki
    Producer
  • Henri Malkki
    Key Cast
  • Kirsi Paananen
    Key Cast
  • Atte Vuori
    Key Cast
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Hiidenkirnu
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Genres:
    Drama, Slow Cinema
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 11 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    February 3, 2023
  • Country of Origin:
    Finland
  • Country of Filming:
    Finland
  • Language:
    No Dialogue
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Markku Hakala, Mari Käki

Markku Hakala, M.Sc., born in 1975, is a first-time filmmaker from Finland. He started in computer software, first in academia, then as an entrepreneur, but despite success turned to philosophy and self-enquiry instead. However, it was not until a year in Africa he allowed himself to open up to the artist within. After a series of experiments with short films he embarked on his first feature film project with his partner in love and art, Mari Käki, a mad six years of working together on all aspects of the film from pre- to post-production. The resulting film, Giant’s Kettle, may be seen as a personal account of being trapped in the wrong story unable to find a way out.

Mari Käki, M.A., is a creative coach and professional supervisor working in the field of media and education. Since 2020 she has been teaching leadership and group dynamics for upcoming filmmakers as a visiting lecturer at the Aalto University film school, Finland. Giant’s Kettle is also her first feature.

So far the duo has self-funded all their explorations in arthouse cinema. They hope to be able to continue working on their art and further mature their cinematic voice.

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Director Statement

We advocate cinema as a medium of intuition and explore film as a more personal form of art more akin to fine arts and photography. We make use of the all the latest digital technology to move the mountains needed along our way. We do this because we believe a new world needs to be built, not on stories but intuition. Let us explain...

The trailer of our film summaries the world we live in as follows:

The past forbidden,
the future foreknown,
the present concealed.

But what does this mean?

By renouncing parts of ourselves (the past forbidden) we come to exist as separate beings, from others, the world and the self. Operating from this egoic state of knowing results in not seeing what is (the present concealed) and the repetition and reinforcement of patterns and power structures (the future foreknown).

But every time we turn a blind eye to what is – that’s when the renounced gains mass. The spiritual awakening is to unite with the Giant, to surrender to the unknown.

For the film making process,

this means acknowledging that we don’t know what we are doing. The artist must suspend their knowing and surrender to the process. If they have been successful in this, connecting to a deeper form of knowing beneath the egoic ideas, then

for the viewer,

there’s a feeling of suspense. The viewer too attempts to know, but is eventually taken to the a place where knowing is no longer possible. What is bubbling under the surface is the concealed meaning ready to be contacted by letting go.

For the character(s) of the film,

letting go is not an option. They make their best to supress their spontaneity and function in the often insane world of rationality. For them too, the unity with the Giant is up for grabs pending surrender, a metamorphosis.

This is true

for the civilization as a whole.

The life on the planet is in abeyance, waiting for a new ruler. As long as there is still hope of business as usual there will be business as usual.

To suspend
to surrender,
to lose all hope.

This is our statement as expressed by and within the film Giant’s Kettle. The characters of the film are lost. They do not know, but they attempt to appear as if they do. The place of not-knowing is uncomfortable and scary. There is a leap of faith to be taken. For the viewer this is possible only if they feel safe with the film. That sets a high bar for the film maker. They need to be brave enough to make the leap first. Or else the audience will not follow.

Have we been able to? Do you feel safe with the film?

Yours,

Markku & Mari