Juho (Pekka Strang) is starting a new life. He’s got a job lined up as a chemical engineer, he’s checked into a hotel in his new home town, and there’s a blind date waiting for him at a nearby restaurant. Only, she never turns up. Even then it’s not all bad news, as he bonds over his shared misfortune with Maria (Krista Kosonen), whose date has also failed to show.
One thing leads to another, and after a mutually enjoyable evening – okay, yes, they spend the night together – he’s interested in taking things further. And that’s where his real problems begin, because Maria’s approach to relationships is a little… unconventional. Long story short, she’s currently seeing seven different men – one for each day of the week.
Winner of the top prize for best series at the 2021 CanneSeries television festival, Mister8 is a Finnish comedy that gives polyamory a film noir-ish twist, right down to being shot in black and white. You might recognise Kosonen from Beforeigners (available now ) where she plays Viking shield maiden turned 21st century cop Alfhildr Enginsdottir. Her run of strong characters continues here as the CEO of a successful family business, a woman with a take-charge attitude who knows what she wants and doesn’t expect to find it all in just one man.
Juho (Pekka Strang) is ‘Mister8’. Source: It’s Alive Films
And why should she limit herself? She already has money, power, success, and pretty much everything she could ask for in life (apart from a bit more love from her father). Why not share it around with a team of different guys who together add up to the perfect partner?
Her line-up seems like a dream team of romance. There’s a manly firefighter, a well-built personal trainer, a sensitive poet, a successful celebrity chef, a stand-up comedian, a driving school instructor who’s just an average guy and a paratrooper with a combat record. Everybody knows the score, nobody’s getting hurt, the guys have even worked together to create a series of rules to make sure nobody steps on anyone else’s toes; it’s the perfect arrangement all round.
Krista Kosonen stars as Maria in ‘Mister8’. Source: It’s Alive Films
Even Juho’s desire to find a spot in Maria’s weekly roster seems to go smoothly. At first all the slots are currently taken, but it doesn’t take long for someone to slip up – with no help from Juho – and Maria to drop them from the team. Now Juho is Mr Monday, but that’s not enough for him.
He’s a one-woman kind of guy, and he wants Maria all to himself. Interestingly, she’s not totally opposed to the idea, which puts the pressure back on him. It’s up to him to clear the decks, but with everyone else seemingly more than okay with their perfect relationship, how is he going to get the other men out of the way?
This is a romantic comedy with a distinctly dark twist. There’s plenty of laughs in this stylised series, both verbal and visual, and the story itself twists and turns like a slick thriller. Just as importantly, the chemistry between Kosonen and Strang sends sparks through their scenes together. They’re both totally convincing as lovers drawn to each other who just might be willing to tear everything down to be together. She’s happy to see how far he’ll go; he’s determined to go all the way.
Terho (Elias Westerberg), the poet. Source: It’s Alive Films
Juho wastes no time whittling down those who are standing in his way, skilfully exploiting the tiniest of cracks in each relationship (it turns out having a great time one day a week leaves you with six days to feel jealous of everyone else) to tip them over the edge. It’d be easy to simply see him as the hero of this story, but in this black (and white) comedy it doesn’t take long for a few shades of grey to emerge.
We’ve been trained by a lifetime of romantic comedies to see a man like Juho as a worthy suitor, someone willing to overcome obstacles to win the woman and get the perfect relationship. And Maria’s relationships with these other men are definitely obstacles to him – if Juho loves her and she loves him, then surely they are destined to be each other’s one and only.
Maria and Juho. Source: It’s Alive Films
But Mister8 has a more nuanced take on polyamory, and things here aren’t quite so simple. Maria has chosen this situation of her own free will, and she certainly seems happy with how it’s working out. Likewise, the men around her don’t seem to have any issues with it – though not all of them are exactly what you would call perfect relationship material either.
There’s a lot of questions running through this series. What makes for the perfect relationship? Is polyamory sustainable? But eventually one question pushes itself to the fore: does Juho have the right to come in and mess up other people’s lives?
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