Search - Aaltra on DVD

Hilarious

Gagewyn | United States | 06/13/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Aaltra follows two neighboring men, one a farmer and one a telecommuting business man who lives for motocross. They have a bit of a feud going on, which culminates in a fistfight on the farmer's Aaltra tractor and both men being paralyzed from the waist down. The farmer directss his bitterness at the tractor that paralyzed them both and sets off for Finland to find the factory. The business man decides to go across Europe and watch motocross competitions. They both leave for their trips the same day and their paths keep crossing, much to the chagrin of each, until they finally begin to travel together.

This movie was laugh out loud funny for me. It pokes fun at society all the way through. The two men are both unpleasant. When their wallets are stolen the farmer attempts to mug passersby, while the business man attempts to block parked vehicles and charge a fee to get out of the way. One even steals an old lady's motorized wheelchair. They use their wheelchair bound status to stay overnight with a German family as it dawns on the family that they are being milked for free beers.

Other reviews talk about slow pacing. I didn't find this to be the case. There are long shots, but for a reason. For example, long shots of the German family watching the men eat, as the men snap it up and the family grows increasingly pissed off but tries to be polite. There is always something going on.

This is the most hilarious movie I have seen in a while. It's well worth finding a copy. Since it's pricey here, get it on interlibrary loan if you are just curious."

Road Trip with Wheelchairs

Margaux Paschke | New York | 07/11/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This little known gem of a French movie is dark yet funny. We are introduced to two neighbors who do not like each other too much, but then, most people don't seem to like them either. An accident occurs while they are arguing and they are both paralyzed. Their disability did not make them better people. They decide to go to Aaltra (a factory in Finland) to make them pay for producing faulty tractors, the cause of their accident and so their roadtrip begins....

The men are robbed while waiting for the next train and now, have no way of getting to Finland. They decide to try and take advantage of being disabled with hilarious to demeaning results. This movie showed the full spectrum of the their new "disabled" life. People can be cruel to them and they are cruel back but they do manage to laugh and make the audience laugh as well. Throughout it all, the two men remain focused on their goal - Aaltra, Finland.

They do manage to get to Aaltra but I cannot give the end away without ruining the movie. This road trip to Aaltra was sorta like the yellow brick road to their personal salvation, which they do receive but not in the way they expected. I can not recommend this movie enough if you don't mind subtitles (minor note, I wonder why the subtitles were a little off when foul language was used). It is an extraordinary film. Although it won a few awards at the lesser Film Festivals, it deserved better distribution and maybe the dvd will allow this movie the greater audience it deserves.
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BRILLIANT!

Daniel E. Smither Jr. | 01/10/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This movie was incredible! Of course, I mean incredible for anyone with a bit of intelligence and patience because the jokes are drawn out and subtle. I actually checked this movie out from the library and am in the process of buying it right now. It's that good. I will watch it again and again and I have told everyone I know about it. Please, if you do yourself a favor this year, at least watch this movie. You will see what I mean!"