On November 17, Scandinavia House presents a special screening and director talk featuring Finland’s official entry for Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards: the absurd, warm-hearted dystopian drama The Squirrel. Director Markus Lehmusruusu will be present for a film talk and Q&A.
The Squirrel / Orava
Dir. Markus Lehmusruusu, Finland/Germany/Netherlands/Sweden, 2026 | 93 min.
In Finnish with English subtitles
In the far future, in a sterile, frictionless world without nature or animals – Pasi, a lonely, compassionate designer of synthetic pets, stumbles upon the last surviving squirrel by chance. He decides to defy the very strict regulations of interaction with what little nature is left in the world and help ease the squirrel back into its natural habitat. However, when his actions lead to unexpected consequences, Pasi is confronted with a profound dilemma: should he venture into the wild with the squirrel or jeopardize the safety of his fragile, tightly-regulated world to keep the squirrel by his side?
Deftly balancing biting satire, a portrait of an authoritarian dystopia, and a timid romance, Markus Lehmusruusu kindles those fires of humanity in a world where they have nearly been extinguished. Its chilly aesthetic and deadpan humor inevitably evoke Aki Kaurismäki, yet beneath the cold exterior lies a surprisingly warm story about resisting conformity and stepping beyond one’s comfort zone.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Markus Lehmusruusu is a Finnish writer-director. His latest film, The Squirrel (2026), is Finland’s official Oscar submission, and his debut feature was the most-watched domestic film in Finland in 2019. His films follow characters who have spent years becoming who they think they should be, until that version of themselves no longer holds. The Squirrel, a Finnish-German-Dutch-Swedish co-production developed at TorinoFilmLab’s ScriptLab, had its international premiere at Fantastic Fest. His debut feature, the family film Ricky Rapper and the Strongman (2019), drew over 288,000 cinema admissions and was later acquired by Netflix. He has also directed the television series Kakarat and Lovi (Prix Jeunesse International finalist) for Yle.