The Diary of a Worker
Feb 16, 2008
Risto Jarva, Finland, 1967, 35mm, 90 min
Sponsored by the Finlandia Foundation, UW Department of Scandinavian Studies, American Scandinavian Foundation
Risto Jarva was a prominent and influential director in the Finnish New Wave, who was unfortunately killed at forty-three in a car accident following the premiere of his film YEAR OF THE HARE. Jarva used his skills to portray nature, young urban intellectuals, the worker, and visions of the future. He explored the possibility of love and companionship with a playful, humorous and contemplative touch. THE DIARY OF A WORKER was Jarva's breakthrough film, "the first Finnish worker movie," and was regarded by Finnish critics as the finest national film of the 1960s. In the film, a factory worker battles ennui as he struggles to balance his job and his home life. To advance his career, he accepts a position at a distant factory, leaving his wife behind.