Case study: Downshifters (EN)

Case study with Olli Haikka (creator & executive producer), Anna Dahlman (co-writer), Teppo Airaksinen (director) et Mikko Leppilampi (actor).

Synopsis: Tommi and Satu are at a financial dead end, when Tommi’s company goes bankrupt. They are embarrassed by their predicament and decide to hide it from everyone except their best friends, Pia and Aaro. Aaro is Satu’s brother, a wealthy and successful subject-matter expert in the IT industry. Aaro’s employer is downsizing and Aaro is one of the workers laid off. So both couples move into the restless neighbourhood of concrete apartment blocks where unemployment is more prevalent than going to work; neighbours in the same building are rather peculiar and nights in their apartment block are restless. Amidst all this, the couples pretend that they’re voluntarily downshifting even as both try to stretch each and every penny.

Country: Finland
Original idea: Timo Varpio, Olli Haikka
Screenwriters: Timo Varpio, Anna Dahlman, Vilja Roihu
Director: Teppo Airaksinen
Composer: Atomirotta
Producers: Marko Talli (producer), Olli Haikka (executive producer), Milla Bruneau (executive producer)
Production: Yellow Film & TV
Broadcasters: Elisa Viihde, Yle TV2
Casting: Jussi Vatanen, Iina Kuustonen, Mikko Leppilampi, Niina Lahtinen, Anna-Leena Härkönen
Format: 10x42’
Year of production: 2015
Date of broadcast: November 2015 (Elisa Viihde) / September 2016 (Yle TV2)