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.
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?
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?
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.
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?
Episodes 1-4 of Mister8 are streaming at SBS On Demand with remaining episodes arriving Sunday 12 January; the series will be streaming for a limited time.
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Mister8