Heavy Trip (original title: Hevi reissu) is a Finnish comedy that combines the spirit of underdog rock movies with the absurdity of small-town life. Directed by Jukka Vidgren and Juuso Laatio, it’s both a love letter to metal music and a hilarious road trip adventure about friendship, self-discovery, and the power of headbanging through life’s chaos.
Detailed Summary
Life in the Quiet Village
The movie opens in a small Finnish village where four friends—Turo, Lotvonen, Jynkky, and Pasi—spend their days rehearsing in Lotvonen’s reindeer slaughterhouse. They’ve been practicing for 12 years without ever performing live. Their music is brutal, loud, and unapologetically metal, but they have one major problem: no one knows they exist.
Turo (Johannes Holopainen), the band’s shy frontman, works as a hospital orderly and quietly dreams of becoming a real musician. His crush, Miia (Minka Kuustonen), works at her father’s café, and Turo’s inability to confess his feelings becomes one of the story’s sweetest (and funniest) emotional threads.
The Birth of Impaled Rektum
The band doesn’t even have a name until midway through the film, when Pasi—the group’s overly intellectual musicologist—suggests Impaled Rektum, a name that perfectly captures the movie’s irreverent humor. Their style? “Symphonic post-apocalyptic reindeer-grinding Christ-abusing extreme war pagan Fennoscandian metal.” Yes, that’s an actual line from the movie.
A Chance Encounter
Things start to change when a Norwegian festival promoter accidentally hears their rehearsal while visiting Lotvonen’s slaughterhouse. He mentions a metal festival in Norway, and the band takes this as a sign from the gods of metal themselves. From that moment, their dream of performing at a real festival becomes an obsession.
Misunderstandings and Mayhem
A series of ridiculous misunderstandings turn the group into local celebrities. The media wrongly reports that Impaled Rektum has been invited to play in Norway, and suddenly the small-town outcasts become national sensations. Emboldened by this “fake fame,” they decide to make the lie real by traveling to Norway and actually crashing the festival.
The Journey to Norway
Their road trip quickly turns into chaos. They steal a hearse, accidentally kidnap a corpse, and get mistaken for terrorists at the border. The film cleverly blends slapstick comedy with moments of genuine heart, showing how each character grows from insecure small-town misfits into confident musicians chasing their dream.
Movie Ending
The band finally reaches the Norwegian festival after a series of disasters. But their triumph doesn’t come easily. They’re initially rejected by security and festival organizers who have no idea who they are. Desperate, they decide to take the stage by force—literally driving their van onto the main stage during another band’s set.
As they plug in their instruments and start playing, chaos erupts. The crowd, at first shocked, quickly embraces them. Their raw, unapologetic sound wins over thousands of metal fans. Turo finally sheds his insecurities, screaming his heart out in front of an ecstatic audience.
Meanwhile, Miia, who has followed the news about their wild escapade, watches from the crowd, clearly proud of him. The film ends on an exhilarating high note: the band has truly become legends, even if by accident. In the final shot, they’re being chased by police helicopters but keep playing as if nothing else matters. It’s the perfect metaphor for the film’s message—follow your passion no matter how insane it seems.
Are There Post-Credits Scenes?
Yes. During the credits, there are brief, humorous clips showing what happens to the characters afterward—mostly comedic follow-ups rather than plot extensions. There isn’t a full post-credits scene with new story material, but these snippets serve as a fun epilogue for fans who stick around.
Type of Movie
Heavy Trip is a comedy-adventure with musical and road movie elements. It’s also a sharp satire of fame, cultural stereotypes, and the absurd extremes of the metal scene.
Cast
- Johannes Holopainen as Turo
- Minka Kuustonen as Miia
- Max Ovaska as Jynkky
- Samuli Jaskio as Lotvonen
- Antti Heikkinen as Pasi
- Ville Tiihonen as Police Chief
- Rauno Juvonen as Miia’s Father
Film Music and Composer
The music was composed by Laibach, the Slovenian avant-garde industrial band known for their dark, orchestral sound. The soundtrack perfectly complements the film’s tone—epic, absurd, and deeply metal. The songs by Impaled Rektum were written and performed with help from real Finnish metal musicians.
Filming Locations
The movie was filmed across Northern Finland and Norway, with most scenes shot in the Lapland region. The authentic rural setting gives the film its distinct Nordic charm and perfectly contrasts the grand, noisy chaos of heavy metal culture. The Norwegian festival scenes were filmed on location, adding to the authenticity of the finale.
Awards and Nominations
- Best Comedy Nominee, Austin Fantastic Fest (2018)
- Audience Award Nominee, Midnight Sun Film Festival
- Received cult acclaim at multiple international festivals, especially among heavy metal and comedy audiences.
Behind the Scenes Insights
- The filmmakers struggled to secure financing because Finnish studios thought a “metal comedy” was too niche.
- Many extras in the concert scenes were real metal fans from Finland and Norway.
- The actors performed much of their own instrument playing to make the performances believable.
- The directors were lifelong metalheads, and the film’s title and humor come from real experiences in the Finnish underground music scene.
Inspirations and References
- Based loosely on the real struggles of underground metal bands in Finland.
- Inspired by the mockumentary tone of This Is Spinal Tap (1984).
- The friendship themes draw from classic underdog films like The Blues Brothers and Wayne’s World.
Alternate Endings and Deleted Scenes
There were early drafts where the band actually made it big and toured globally, but the directors chose the more chaotic and ironic ending. Some deleted scenes include extended gags of their journey through Finland and a subplot involving Miia’s father trying to stop them, which was shortened in the final cut for pacing.
Book Adaptations and Differences
There is no book adaptation, but the screenplay was written from an original idea by the directors, inspired by Finnish metal subculture rather than any literary work.
Memorable Scenes and Quotes
Key Scenes
- The band’s first real gig attempt at a local event, ending in complete disaster.
- Their chaotic border crossing into Norway.
- The iconic final concert, where they crash the stage and win the crowd.
Iconic Quotes
- Pasi: “We’re not just playing music. We’re making history.”
- Turo: “We may not be famous, but we’re loud.”
- Jynkky: “No rehearsal can prepare you for the apocalypse.”
Easter Eggs and Hidden Details
- The band’s hearse bears the license plate “666-FIN.”
- One of the background metal fans wears a shirt that says “Support Local Satan.”
- The song titles of Impaled Rektum are nods to real Finnish metal songs.
Trivia
- The film became a surprise hit in international festivals despite being in Finnish.
- Its cult success led to real metal bands covering songs from the movie.
- The title Heavy Trip is a play on both a “road trip” and the heaviness of metal music.
- The directors actually built a full stage for the final concert rather than using CGI.
Why Watch?
If you love metal music, offbeat humor, and heartfelt underdog stories, Heavy Trip is a hidden gem. It’s outrageous, absurdly funny, and surprisingly emotional. It’s also one of the few films that portrays the metal community with genuine affection rather than parody.
Director’s Other Works
- Jukka Vidgren: Korsu – The Bunker (short film, 2011)
- Juuso Laatio: Kaverit – The Dudes (TV series, 2015)
Recommended Films for Fans
- Heavier Trip (2024)
- This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
- Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny (2006)
- Wayne’s World (1992)
- The Blues Brothers (1980)
- Airheads (1994)
