The Caregiver

Aino, a broke-ass mental health nurse who hates the rich, falls in love with one of the patients, wealthy investment consultant Mikael, Aino has to learn that to be loved you have to dare to reveal yourself with all your craziness.

Aino (38), a broke-ass mental health nurse who hates the rich, life takes a new turn when a new patient Mikael (40), an investment advisor, arrives at the mental hospital. Mikael had a nervous breakdown during the economic downturn, ran away from his wedding, jumped off the roof, and saw no point in life. Fortunately, the house was a single story, he had a lot of money anyway, and he didn't even love his ex-fiancée Erin (25). Aino´s daughter Jade (16) wants to apply to an expensive ballet school and threatens to sell her virginity if she doesn't get money for her studies. Against all odds, Aino wins 2700 euros in the lottery and now she needs to make her winnings grow. When an old friend invites Mikael to his extravagant couple´s party Mikael suggests that he could teach Aino to invest and Aino to play his girlfriend. Everything goes well when Mikael guides Aino to the wonderful world of money until then they discover that they are helplessly in love with each other.

Keywords: social welfare, mental health, love

Director's note:
I grew up in a small village in Lapland where half of the residents were mental hospital patients and half were their caregivers and you didn’t always notice the difference in who is who. And does it matter, as far as humanity is concerned? My mother who was a nurse, said that she enjoyed being with mental health patients because they no longer play silly social games. By choosing romantic drama-comedy as the genre, I intend to bring people together, make people laugh together, and share their burdens. My biggest passion is connecting people with my art. To make us understand each other better. I see this film as a universal story for a wider audience with artistic high quality. I see the humour in the image and sound, in addition to the situational comedy of the scene, in the use of colours and composition. Mental health and financial problems can all be “serious”, but I believe that it is easier to face these issues with the power of a warm and comical approach.