Tom of Finland

Description

Finnish biographical drama directed by Dome Karukoski and starring Pekka Strang, Taisto Oksanen and Lauri Tilkanen. Touko Laaksonen (Strang), who would come to be known as Tom of Finland, serves in the Second World War and defends his homeland from invasion, becoming a decorated lieutenant in the process; this is not what he is remembered for however. Touko is homosexual and in the years after the war he encounters some of his old comrades again and forges a lifelong relationship with one of them, but he also suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and relies heavily on his sister for support. Touko is a skilled draughtsman and his homoerotic drawings gain him notoriety as part of an increasingly open gay community, despite the continued persecution of homosexuality in Finland and beyond. His art soon makes Tom of Finland a gay icon and a symbol for the emergent social movement for years to come.