By David E. Gehlke
Maybe one of the best film reflecting the true spirit of underground steel in recent times is “Heavy Journey”, the 2018 creation of first-time Finnish filmmakers Jukka Vidgren and Juuso Laatio. The story is straightforward and endearing: A small-town steel band that includes 4 Finnish children has ambitions of better issues however cannot agree on a reputation, not to mention any music concepts. When the sounds of a caught reindeer carcass caught in a meat grinder evokes their first authentic music creation, IMPALED REKTUM is born, together with the band’s hilarious quest to play a gig in neighboring Norway. “Heavy Journey” took a while to resonate with audiences, even in metal-friendly Finland. As soon as it did, it turned an undisputed cult basic, with audiences throughout the globe dressing up because the movie’s characters and reciting its most memorable strains.
Six years later, the sequel, “Heavier Journey”, has arrived. Vidgren and Laatio have discovered a brand new journey for the 4 members of IMPALED REKTUM whereas sustaining lots of the threads from the unique that followers grew to like. (Word: Each movies are almost completely in Finnish and have soundtrack contributions from native steel bands.) On the eve of its North American launch, Vidgren and Laatio pulled up with BLABBERMOUTH.NET for a chat.
Blabbermouth: “Heavy Journey” turned an sudden cult basic. In doing “Heavier Journey”, did you’re feeling the strain of doing the sequel now that there will probably be expectations?
Juuso: “I believe there was strain, particularly when the primary one was so preferred. Yeah, there positively is strain. Once you’re a fan of one thing…followers are so onerous to please. Should you do the identical factor, they are not going to be glad. Should you do one thing very completely different, they are not going to be glad both. We did not wish to make the identical movie twice. It is thrilling to see how the followers will obtain it.”
Jukka: “Was it simpler or more durable? It is all the time onerous writing a movie. [Laughs] This time, we already had the characters, in order that manner it was simpler. The onerous half was making one thing we did not see within the first movie. As Juuso stated, it could possibly’t be too completely different.”
Blabbermouth: Had been you two extra environment friendly when taking pictures, given inflation and different issues?
Juuso: “I believe plenty of stuff was left on the modifying room flooring. I suppose we realized from the primary movie about stuff that is most likely going to get used and we realized find out how to make it in order that it is more durable to lose full scenes. I believe we realized to be extra environment friendly within the script course of and taking pictures course of. We’re smarter about it than within the first movie.”
Jukka: “You’ve got restricted assets and time. Time to shoot. It is all the time humorous to me to listen to these tales about [Stanley] Kubrick taking pictures a scene for 2 months. [Laughs] For us, it is ‘You’ve got two hours.’ That is an excellent scene for us! Typically we have now half an hour. We actually do not have the time or leisure to shoot something additional. You need to know what photographs you want and find out how to get them.”
Juuso: “It is all the time if you happen to spend one minute longer on a scene, then it is a minute taken off the following. I keep in mind we needed to shoot the scene the place the band performed their music in jail for the primary time. We had 50 minutes to shoot the entire scene or one thing like that. It was like, ‘Play the music on repeat 5 occasions!’ To get the fabric we would have liked, I do not know if it interprets to English, however it was a fireplace below our asses.”
Blabbermouth: Did you begin on “Heavier Journey” proper after the primary film got here out? Was the sequel pre-ordained?
Jukka: “No, effectively, in a manner, it was extra like a joke that the final dialogue within the first movie is that ‘You may most likely hear from REKTUM once more.’ It was extra like a joke for us. Such as you stated, we had no expectations that this is able to be a cult movie that traveled outdoors of Finland. If that occurred, then it’s important to begin questioning. After all, you all the time wish to make a movie. It is a query of whether or not there are sufficient individuals who wish to make the movie in a manner that they’ll fund it, and someone can say there is a chance this movie will get its a refund after which some. Then you definately would possibly wish to do this movie. The cash will not be the explanation to do it, however the likelihood to do it.”
Blabbermouth: The primary characters are nonetheless grounded in among the themes you explored within the first movie, however they’re clearly completely different individuals because the film progresses. How did you wish to develop them?
Jukka: “I suppose the very first thing is that we wished to take them someplace. We wished to flesh out the characters extra. Within the first movie, we focused on the lead, Turo. We wished to offer these guys extra time. We had variations of the script the place they’d much more stuff, however the issue with having 4 characters is which you can get simply cramped and have plenty of scenes and attempt to take everyone with you. I believe the primary factor was that we wished to get these characters some progress and have their very own arcs, however that was troublesome when it comes to how a lot time you can provide every individual. Like, what number of pages can someone have? Then, they by some means have to hook up with the primary plot of the movie so you may have one thing that occurs that feels prefer it would not need to do with something. I suppose it was fascinating to search out these methods. We had plenty of concepts concerning the characters from the primary movie, which did not find yourself within the first movie. We saved pondering of stuff like Lotvonen‘s guitar solo that was set within the first movie, however there was a line within the first film, ‘There are not any solos.’ We had the thought in our heads that [bassist] Xytrax would not like solos, so it was about find out how to make it related. I can not keep in mind which section of the writing when the BABYMETAL concept got here in, however that felt pure. Typically, the concepts are quite simple. For instance, here is a man like Xytrax who cannot make a compromise; how can we make him compromise? How can we put him in a state of affairs the place he has to confess one thing he has a tough time admitting? The BABYMETAL factor labored very well on this concept that he would love one thing that he can’t admit liking. Then we wrote in BABYMETAL, which was silly on the time as a result of it was like writing, ‘Let’s have METALLICA come right here!'”
Blabbermouth: You had a near-Dave Mustaine [MEGADETH] cameo with a man who seemed identical to him. You did not actually take the visitor star bait outdoors of BABYMETAL.
Juuso: “We tried!”
Jukka: “We completely wished to have Dave Mustaine on the set.”
Juuso: [Jokingly] “He completely wished to come back to the film, however we stated no, let’s put it that manner.”
Blabbermouth: A superb chunk of the movie towards the top takes place at Wacken. Had been there any logistical points taking pictures at a competition of this measurement?
Juuso: “No. [Laughs] We went there a yr earlier to location scout and every little thing appeared to go very easily. I believe what occurred in the course of the yr earlier than our shoot was that Wacken was bought. I do not know if it is true or not, however I heard a rumor that Wacken was purchased for someone as a birthday current. Anyway, administration modified. The those that we had been in touch with had been gone, so we type of needed to discover new individuals to get in touch with. It was a troublesome course of and many query marks, even throughout our shoot. We acquired there, and the native Wacken individuals had been very good, however the entire competition was in chaos and disaster mode. They did not have time or assets. It was very difficult and we had been just about on our personal, making an attempt to make our film in chaos. The climate was horrible. We could not use automobiles to drive our gear round. We needed to carry every little thing within the mud.”
Blabbermouth: Did you will have the mud boots?
Jukka: “First, I had these brief rubber boots that had been as much as my ankle. They did not work in any respect. [Laughs] Then I acquired those that had been as much as my knees. They had been virtually sufficient. I had this raincoat. I simply put it within the washer this week. It nonetheless had among the muck and dirt on it.”
Juuso: “I am preserving the mud on my Wacken raincoat for recollections.”
Blabbermouth: Making steel films is unglamorous. It’s possible you’ll be on the largest steel competition of all, but you are trudging via the mud together with your gear, making an attempt to get these photographs with no assist.
Jukka: “It was the closest I have been to a army expertise. [Laughs] It was actually like that. At first, if you step on a little bit puddle of mud, it is like, ‘My boots are tousled.’ After 5 days, you do not even care. It was nice. We had good recollections.”
Juuso: “To start with, the mud was fairly strong. Then it acquired actually sticky. Your boots acquired caught to it. Ultimately, it was virtually like liquid. You simply heard ‘Plop, plop, plop.’ It was an excellent expertise.”
Blabbermouth: With out going too far into the brand new film, what are among the greatest belongings you’ve seen from individuals in response to the primary?
Juuso: “In Japan, it is turn out to be a cult movie the place individuals costume up in characters from the movie. They go to particular screenings. Any person dressed up because the velocity digicam. [Laughs]”
Jukka: “I’ve acquired such an enormous imposter syndrome. Each time I hear one thing good concerning the first movie, I all the time presume they’ve seen the fallacious movie. I am nonetheless getting adjusted to someone seeing and liking the movie and perhaps seeing it greater than as soon as. After all, it is fantastic. We have now superior followers world wide and it is loopy.”
Juuso: “Folks have despatched mail saying how a lot the movie means to them and the way a lot it has given them solace and the way they like to observe it in troublesome occasions. Or after they’re feeling dangerous, they watch it and really feel higher. It is an unbelievable factor to listen to. It is one thing you dream of listening to. Not that you really want individuals to have dangerous occasions, however it provides them one thing to make their day a little bit bit higher.”
Blabbermouth: Moreover, you’ve got saved plenty of the Finnish identification. There’s a little bit bit extra English this outing.
Juuso: “It might be a neater promote if it could be utterly in English, at the least outdoors of Finland. Early on, we determined that we weren’t going to go there. We’re not going to make the fellows communicate English to one another. Yeah, it is onerous to say. Coming from Finland, we have now a tough time seeing what different individuals see as Finnish. I suppose the Finnish manner of claiming issues is saying the least quantity of issues. That comes via. That is very Finnish. The characters have some deep-rooted Finnish in them. We’d have a really troublesome time seeing what one thing individuals outdoors of us are like. ‘That is so Finnish.’ Or, ‘That is very unique.'”
Blabbermouth: Has the primary movie lastly caught on in Finland?
Jukka: “I believe so. There is a bizarre tradition of avoiding being happy with native issues in Finland. Issues need to be accepted and justified outdoors of Finland earlier than we will say one thing we did is sweet. When the primary movie got here out, it was a reasonably lukewarm reception. Then, when individuals type of realized that it is truly preferred outdoors of Finland and accepted, then it is a good movie. I believe the steel individuals loved the movie and everyone else caught on. Now, I believe the feedback are 95 % optimistic, which I believe is loopy for the primary movie. I believe the primary movie has turn out to be type of a Finnish export merchandise that folks may be happy with.”
Juuso: “It took a while when it got here out. It got here out on TV and streaming providers in Finland after which lots of people caught the movie, and I believe this appears to be the case with the second movie as effectively. It was not massively crowded within the theaters, however I believe individuals will discover out about it in a while and when it comes out, they’ll watch it. Hopefully, that may occur within the second movie as effectively. Finland is a steel nation however to a level.”
Jukka: “I believe perhaps it is a world phenomenon, however steel is getting plowed by pop music and all that stuff.”
Blabbermouth: One of many essential threads of each movies is that the fellows in IMPALED REKTUM are good, hard-working individuals with desires. Do you assume your portrayal of them might change some minds about metalheads?
Jukka: “We do get the concept that individuals who do not know these guys, their look and steel will not be the simplest to take heed to. It was necessary to point out that these guys are honest and are heat guys who dream. They’re very dedicated to their music. They genuinely love the music. I believe pop music, rap music, and hip-hop are conditions the place you would possibly find yourself doing that as a result of they’re fashionable. There may be cash in it. There is not any cash in steel. [Laughs] You attempt to discover somebody who does it out of the goodness of their coronary heart, doing steel music. I like that concept.”
Blabbermouth: To wrap, is there a chance for a 3rd film?
Jukka: “We’ll see how this goes. I believe it is too early to say.”
Juuso: “It is not like we determine, ‘Hey, we’ll make a movie!’ We’d like hundreds of thousands of viewers to make that movie. Lots of people are concerned in making it, however let’s have a look at. Possibly sooner or later…”
