Producing Adults (2004) is a Finnish drama written by Pekko Pesonen and directed by Aleksi Salmenperä. The original title in Finnish is Lapsia ja aikuisia - Kuinka niitä tehdään, and the film is also known as Children and Adults: How Are They Made? (the informal literal title), and Hela vägen in Sweden. It was Finland's official Academy Award submission for Best Foreign Language Film of 2004 and Minttu Mustakallio won 'Best Supporting Actress' at the 2005 Jussi Awards (Finland's main film industry awards]. Aleksi Salmenperä won the FIPRESCI Prize for the film at the Stockholm Film Awards.

The film deals with the myriad complications arising from Venla's (Minna Haapkylä) desire to have a child. Her long time boyfriend Antero (Kari-Pekka Toivonen) is reluctant, fearing that fatherhood will imperil his last chance to succeed in his speed skating career and by seeing his friend go through fatherhood. Antero does some extreme things to avoid getting Velna pregnant and she begins to be equally devious in her attempts to conceive. Venla seeks help from her bisexual co-worker at a fertility clinic and the relationship between the two begins to blossom amongst many setbacks.

Production details

The film was shot on one camera in 40 days. All the music was composed for the film, partly to save money on a film which cost only 600,000 euros. The translation of the subtitles in English is workmanlike at best.

External links

• IMDB page
• Lesbian Life review
• Finnish Film Foundation page on Producing Adults
• Hollywood Report review