Just Animals

ELÄINOIKEUSJUTTU

Finland, 2022, 82'

Since she was young, Saila at night has been sneaking into dozens of Finnish farms to record the horrific conditions in which cattle is often kept. Afterwards, along with her fellow activist Kristo, she has publicly admitted to her crime and has been sued by the farmers for huge amounts of money, risking long detention sentences. Meanwhile, her sister Mai, a kindred spirit, has run for parliament and carries on the same fight on another front. As Saila grows up, she faces how difficult it is to uphold the ideals of her youth with the same resolve, while Kristo keeps on fighting undaunted, to testify to the atrocious suffering endured by the beasts.

Up to what point can idealism dominate the life of an individual? How can the hardships of private life be reconciled with public and social commitment? How much of ourselves can we really put forth to support a cause, and to what extent? A film on the importance of raising social awareness and of giving oneself the room necessary to mature without losing one’s political spark.