Synopsis
TOM OF FINLAND is a fascinating filmic portrait of Finnish artist Touko Laaksonen and his journey to international success.In the film, Touko returns after the Continuation War to his somber and moralistic home of Finland, where homosexuality is illegal. To entertain himself and his friends, he begins drawing sketches of chiseled, free, uninhibited and proud gay men. The illustrations are considered a danger in Finland, so Touko stashes them away. He even hides them from his sister Kaija, even though the siblings are very close. While working at an advertising agency, Touko falls in love with a dancer, Veli “Nipa” Mäkinen, but they are forced to hide their relationship.
Veli encourages Touko to show people his work, and so his drawings end up taking him to Los Angeles via Berlin. In L.A. Touko finds an appreciative audience for his art with the help of his friends. Penned under the name ‘Tom of Finland’, the illustrations become wildly popular and spark a revolution.
TOM OF FINLAND is an epic story about a man called Touko Laaksonen and the artist known as Tom of Finland.
