The Grump: In Search of an Escort

The last instalment in the Grump trilogy - based on a novel by Tuomas Kyrö – is a tragicomedy from Finnish filmmaker Mika Kaurismäki (The Girl King) in which we meet the Grump (Heikki Kinnunen) living his everyday life in the Finnish countryside following the routine of working on his farm.  

One day he crashes his beloved car, a bright red 1972 Ford Escort. When he decides to buy a new car, he is extremely particular and has to have another 1972 Escort, but the closest one available is in Germany, where coincidentally his brother Tarmo (who he lost touch with) moved decades ago. So, he withdraws all his money from the bank, stashes it in a suitcase, and heads off for Germany.   

After a series of incidents, the previously estranged brothers are reunited and decide to look for an Escort together, getting to know each other again in the process. Moving between tragedy and comedy, with dry, laconic humour, The Grump: In Search of an Escort is a feel-good story about reconciliation and forgiveness.