International art dealer Olavi is about to retire. At an auction, an old painting catches his attention. Suspecting it is worth much more than its starting price, he decides to make one last deal. At the same time, Olavi’s daughter Lea – whom he hasn’t seen for years – asks him to help her with his teenage grandson Otto. Together with Otto, Olavi starts to investigate the background of the painting.
One Last Deal is a Finnish film that follows Olavi (played by Heikka Nousiainen) a man that is ever more aware that his personal career is on the downfall and he is running out of years. A man that has spent the better part of his years holding onto what he values the most; his reputation as an art dealer, and his store. So adamant that his way is the right way, that he refuses to change. A store is full of unsold works of art, using typewriters, Rolodex's and calculators, bathed in the warm yellow light of old incandescent bulbs.
The lighting in the film is superbly done and tells you a lot about the characters and environments. The stale, faded yellow of Olavi's store, the sterile white lights of the auction house, to the natural light at Otto and Lea's house, they all lean into the personality quirks and characteristics of its occupants and creates an appropriate vibe for each environment.
What remains unknown to Olavi, are the details of his own family, and this is where the drama comes into the story. Olavi has two opportunities presented to him; to make one last art deal, and to get reacquainted with his daughter Lea and grandson Otto, whom he has kept at arm's length previously.
A straightforward plot, there are no big metaphors going on. This a simple story about a selfish man who achieves humility through a slightly unexpected source. Such an elemental film, that the entire film hinges on the humanity of our characters. Heikka Nousiainen does a brilliant job as Olavi, the man living in denial, unable to change, and suddenly faced with the futility of how little he has to show for a lifetime of work. Pirjo Lonka was a very small role as Olavi's daughter Lea, and even with minimal lines of dialogue, she portrays an immense strength of emotion through her eyes.
The young teen grandson Otto (played by Amos Brotherus) is quite well written too. Similar to Lonka's performance, the power of Brotherus' performance comes not so much from the dialogue, but from body language, and he positions himself as the polar opposite to Nousiainen; easily adopting technology, and enough charisma to get his way.
While the direction of the film is forecast right from the start, One Last Deal is the redemption arc at its finest. A flawed protagonist that makes you feel conflicted between feeling sympathy for him or annoyance at his selfish nature, jump from one side to the other as Olavi directs himself through the film.
One Last Deal is a surprisingly heart-warming story of vindication and absolution with a twist of irony that leaves you with a smirk on your face by the end.
One Last Deal is in cinemas 30th May 2019