If you’ve read any of Antti Tuomainen’s books, you’ll quickly get a sense of his style. It’s almost like the Coen Brothers wrote Finnish crime novels. There’s a quirky sense of humour that permeates his work, inevitably some violence along the way and plenty of troubled lead characters for whom the future is uncertain. The Netflix adaptation of his 2019 novel Little Siberia has all of this in abundance. 

The small Finnish village of Hurmervaara (translated to Charmsville, in English) couldn’t feel further away from civilisation. When we arrive there, it’s buried in snow but that doesn’t stop everyone from knowing everyone else’s business. A meteorite has plummeted to earth, striking the sleepy town via a car roof. It becomes a sacred item – the promise of tourism dollars beckons. But, for Pastor Joel (Eero Ritala), it’s brought nothing but bad luck. Whilst he guards the meteor from potential theft, he finds himself embroiled in an unlikely criminal set up whilst also discovering something so troubling that it shakes the foundations of his marriage. 

Humervaara itself is a joy to behold. Outdoors is blinding white snow and a rainbow coloured assortment of winter woolies. Most people get around on kick sleds, something Joel finds himself adapting to. Indoors, it’s all dark woods, old-fashioned decor and sepia toned lighting. It’s like two different worlds – but the sense of isolation is made abundantly clear. There’s a fantastic array of eccentric villagers, too. Tarvainen (Tommi Korpela) is a former rally driver who is now permanently drunk. Karolina (Jenni Banerjee) is the village’s flirty barmaid who seemingly has links to the criminal underworld. Joel spends most of his pastoral time trying to talk the local conspiracy theorist off a ledge. It’s exactly as bonkers as you’d hope. Even the score reflects the curious cast of characters, a mix of ticking sounds, strings and percussive squawks. 

Eero Ritala is excellent in the lead role – truly, a master of the reaction shot as his face gets a full work out in relation to unfolding events. Antti Tuomainen really loves his spiralling male characters in unassuming jobs and Joel is no different. The arrival of this meteorite is a test of his faith, his marriage and his ability to throw a punch. He finds himself in inexplicably violent circumstances and we see him increasingly bloodied and dishevelled. Ritala gives us a character who is constantly jittery, spilling or dropping things, with drinks rarely making it to his mouth. He blends comedy and drama perfectly to capture his character in a way that feels oddly relatable. 

Rune Temte too, has a small but effective role as the “giant”, Petar. He’s softly spoken but he has crazy eyes. He grins menacingly at Joel as he describes all of the ways he has tortured and killed people. He wraps his arms around the terrified Pastor, asking, “Father, will you join me in a small prayer for me to find Miklas’ murder?” The sweet natured delivery of the line is hilariously at odds with the revenge he is seeking. It’s a great cameo role that has a strong influence on the story. 

And, of course, peppered throughout the film are examples of Tuomainen’s black humour. Writer / director Dome Karukoski (Tom of Finland, Tolkien) does a really brilliant job of capturing the essence of Tuomainen’s writing style. A gang of thieves think they’ve stolen the meteorite, only to have grabbed a grenade instead. Joel’s wife Krista (Malla Malmivaara) leads a sultry dance class set thumping dance music for the local villagers. The local gym nut is tortured on his treadmill. Joel is told to “read some self-help books; do some yoga” when he asks for police help amidst the spiralling violence. “If you have any answers, now would be a good time,” he sighs at a painting of Jesus. The delivery of such dialogue is always well-timed so as to highlight the absurdity of the drama. 

Little Siberia does a brilliant job of capturing the essence of Tuomainen’s work and, indeed, small town life. It leans into the folly and eccentricity that Hurmervaara provides. Dome Karukoski manages to spiral off in different tangents whilst bringing it all together neatly towards a conclusion. It’s well-paced, with the right balance of offbeat humour, violence and personal drama to keep you engrossed until the very end.

Little Siberia is available on Netflix globally as of March 21