The Missile brings dry humor and social observation into a story about an unexpected journalist. Miia Tervo finds a convincing balance between lightness and more substantial questions.
In Lapland in 1984, single mother Niina damages the local newspaper's window. Writing articles becomes a way to repay the cost. The editor wants cheerful material, but rumors of a Soviet missile create a chance for a much larger story.
Oona Airola makes Niina determined without concealing her vulnerability. Family responsibilities and professional ambition remain connected within the performance. Hannu-Pekka Björkman adds skepticism and humor as the editor, giving their exchanges a believable rhythm.
Tervo's dialogue captures the region's dry comic tone while exploring journalistic integrity, sensationalism and a woman's attempt to establish herself in a male-dominated environment. Meelis Veeremets's images contrast wide winter landscapes with intimate editorial spaces, making both distance and small-town closeness tangible.
For me, the film is a successful mixture of comedy and drama. It treats Niina's ambitions seriously without losing the humor of her circumstances. Its thoughtful interest in journalism and social roles gives the local setting a wider significance, while the cast and sensitive direction make the story enjoyable in its own right.