The Helsinki Effect is an all-archival essay documentary that explores the power narratives and myths of the Cold War era. Based on hundreds of hours of archival footage, the film deconstructs the anatomy of an often misunderstood diplomatic process, and reveals how it came to impact the world in a decisive way.
The documentary tells the story of the political scandal caused by the book 'The Spoils of Tamminiemi' from the perspective of the journalists who wrote it. The time of the book's publication was the worst time of the Finlandization, Soviet spies worked behind the scenes and the power struggle was heating up, who would be successor of the President Kekkonen? The authors of the book appeared under pseudonyms, but the subjects of the writings were named, and it revealed everything that had been going on behind the scenes.
In their quest for connection and acceptance among their peers, two Finnish teens suddenly find themselves entangled in the world of addiction and violence. As the light-hearted days of youth fade, they are faced with the harsh realities of adulthood.
