Pearls and Pigs

It's no exaggeration that Pearls and Pigs's UK premiere at the 2004 Edinburgh Film Festival was a success. After the early slow start: middling comic episodes introducing small-town small-time crook Erkki Hirvonen, a single father who operates a bootlegging business with his four uncouth twentysomething sons. Namely good-looking nice-guy Lade, amiably stoned Timo, volatile tough-nut Ruho aka 'Bulk' and nightclubbing gay hedonist Pujo aka 'Boy', the picture finally finds its feet when the hapless Erkki is jailed and the lads must produce a large amount of Euros to pay off 'Pig' and 'Sty' - local criminal bigwigs they've inadvertently offended. As if this wasn't enough, the boys find themselves in a Three Men and a Little Lady type scenario when their blonde-moppet half-sister Saara is dumped on their doorstep by her hard-bitten prostitute mother. But when Saara reveals unsuspected talents as an angel-voiced singer, the brothers waste no time in entering her for the lucrative televised 'Superkid' contest. Complications ensue. (official distributor synopsis)