Free Skate (Free Skate)
A young and promising Russian Figure Skater is found beaten and frostbitten on the side of a motorway in Finland. In hospital officials find a letter from her belongings and are able to locate her Finnish Grandmother who offers the shelter of her home to her granddaughter whom she has not seen for years.
With her Grandmother’s help, the Figure Skater tries to reconnect with the culture that she has long forgotten after the tragic death of her Mother. She applies for a renewal of her social security status and undergoes painful past memories that have led to eating disorders, restless nights and obsessive behaviour.
Following her Grandmother’s suggestion, the Figure Skater contacts the top figure skating club of Finland. She gets a new chance with skating and starts to train for the nationals, ultimate goal being the World Championships. Training starts well with the new team that consists of Finnish Skaters, Finnish Coach, Choreographer and Ballet Teacher. Despite the intensive training the first national competition doesn’t go as planned. In order to get the best out of herself she needs to face her past. The Figure Skater and the Grandmother go through the shared loss of the Mother, which opens up a new page in their life and deepens their relationship. For the first time in her life the Figure Skater finds a true friend from the Ballet Teacher who helps her to open up about past training and what she has sacrificed for the skating. Through unexpected attention from an Ice Hockey Goaltender, she realizes her thoughts about the opposite sex are extremely mixed.
The Figure Skater’s social security gets renewed and the future starts to look promising. She begins to enjoy her new life in Finland and finds joy in the fresh choreographies. The second national competition is a success and she gets selected into the national team becoming a Finnish deputy for the World Championships. A Reporter gets interested in the Figure Skater’s past and lures her into a live interview. Being heavily
pressured about jumping to Finland, the Figure Skater decides to reveal everything. She tells that on top of the harsh training methods, she was forced into prostitution to finance her skating in Russia. It becomes apparent that her mentally unstable Father played a key role in the whole thing and as a member of the skating club’s decision making organ sustained the prostitution ring. The Skater walks the Reporter through the events that led her to flee. She is relieved to share her story but unfortunately the news travels far and on the night before heading to the world championships, the Father intrudes into the Grandmother’s apartment. They get into a life-threatening fight, which ends as the Grandmother puts an end to the vicious cycle.
Amazingly, the Figure Skater survives and manages to participate in the competition of her life. Finally her future looks bright.
- production
- Bright Fame Pictures, Brave Teddy, OyOptipari Oy
- year
- 2022
- genre
- Sport, Drama
- language
- Finnish, sub. English
- directed by
- Roope Olenius
- written by
- Miikka J. Anttila, Roope Olenius, Teea Siltanen, Veera W. Vilo
- cast
- Veera W. Vilo, Jaane Puustinen, Saara Elina, Ilona Chevakova