Markus Lehmusruusu Talks “Beautiful” Experience With Finland Oscar Submission ‘The Squirrel’

Director/writer Markus Lehmusruusu (Ricky Rapper and the Strongman) brings his absurdist sci-fi comedy The Squirrel to Fantastic Fest. The movie has its International Premiere today and is part of the festival’s main competition. The Squirrel is also Finland’s Oscars 2027 International Feature Film submission, so it comes to the festival with its share of momentum. Lehmusruusu talked about his feature and the challenge of working with squirrels!

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The Squirrel, set in the far future, centers on Pasi (Miro Lopperi), a synthetic pets designer who discovers the last surviving squirrel. Determined to keep the squirrel alive, Pasi also falls in love. With the squirrel also despressed and his life becoming more unpredictable, Pasi’s controlled life turns chaotic. The director of cinematgraphy is Max Smeds (Bullet) and the composer is Freya Arde (The Hidden Life of Trees). The film, filled with deadpan humor, is described as a mix between Dumb and Dumber and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Amidst the comedy, there is also a perspective on things we may lose as a society even with technological advancements. “I remember when I was writing it, I read Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (from) Yuval Noah Harari,” said Markus Lehmusruusu. “It has to do with the history of our species and I know that book also got me to think about this perspective. We have been so many things, and we are moving forward at the same time. But we have forgotten also some things. I didn’t want to be nostalgic, but at the same time I was thinking, ‘are we missing something?’ When things are advancing and we are progressing and moving forward, is it always only good?”

As for working with squirrels, they are wild animals which obviously means an easy time is not in the offing. “We were in Germany and we had to have this super silent set because they are really sensitive animals,” said Lehmusruusu. “They get distracted if there’s something happening outside of this kind of studio set. Everybody had to pause whatever they’re doing when the squirrels were on set. We had to have this super closed set (where) there’s no holes anywhere because they will instantly escape . . . it was stressful, but it was beautiful at the same time.”

Full interview with Markus Lehmusruusu:

Catch The Squirrel today at Fantastic Fest and share your thoughts on the movie!

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