How to Please

An experimental documentary that presents a formally innovative approach to depicting challenges faced by migrants relegated to the shadow economy, introduces us to ​​an everyday hero: Wed Al-Asadi, having fled the civil war in Iraq, applies for asylum in Finland. Despite being a skilled specialist in his field, with companies eager to employ him, the refugee navigating the bewildering complexities of EU asylum laws finds himself trapped by contradictory legal regulations that block any path to legalizing his stay. In this unique cinematic experience, the narrator tells his story on a minimal set: on a black studio floor, open structures of colored beams form the different rooms in which he is interrogated by an AI voice, and where he is obliged to wait and hope. In this human-sized mousetrap, how can a man escape the state of despair?

---

Direction: Elina Talvensaari

Script: Elina Talvensaari

Cinematography: Joonas Pulkkanen

Editing: Okku Nuutilainen

Sound: Pinja Mustajoki

Music: Tommi Mäki

Production: Aamu Film Company

Producers: Jussi Rantamäki, Emilia Haukka

Format: DCP

Color: Color

Production Country: Finland

Production Year: 2023

Duration: 28'

Contact: Raina Film Festival Distribution

Elina Talvensaari

Filmography

2008 The Invisible Hand (short fiction)
2008 Palm Tree (short)
2010 How To Pick Berries (short)
2016 Purity and Danger
2019 Lady Time
2023 How to Please (short)