Tove & The Moomins

One of the best things about podcasting apart from the fun of the actual recording, the really cool people we’ve been able to meet as a result of doing this, the chance we’ve had to indulge our passions, the unity and commitment it takes from 5 different people to spaff this nonsense out into the ether each week and the dedication to refinement of a craft even one as insignificant as this is the fact that you can in some small way reduce your self-worth to a number if you like, the number of downloads that you’ve had. And though it’s not important, it is a little bit important so here’s hoping that this week’s super niche Moomin based content will have us shooting up the charts. We start things off this week by discussing the Top 5 Creatures and there were plenty to choose from. TOVE (2020) is a biography of painter, writer, illustrator and The Moomins creator Tove Jansson, set in three different time periods of the Finnish artists life. Born into a family of artists in Helsinki, her mother was an illustrator and her father, Viktor, a renowned sculptor so it was perhaps inevitable that she would find herself drawn into the family passion though Viktor's cruel dismissiveness of her Moomins drawings fuels her fear of failure. When she meets wealthy socialite and director Vivica Bandler it sparks a love affair spanning several years as her creative endeavours and love life become intertwined. This is probably not a stop everything, you must watch this now type recommendation from us but as the true story of the sexual liberation of a free-spirited woman who threw off the shackles of her domineering father to become an international sensation whilst also exploring the subtle heartbreak of being in love with a partner who doesn't feel precisely the same way, there is plenty to enjoy. Strong performances from Alma Pöysti, Shanti Roney and Krista Kosonen anchor this well-made, thoughtful and at times very beautiful movie. Knowing that THE MOOMINS was written against the backdrop of the author's exploration of her sexual and romantic identity while defying her openly chauvinistic father makes it all the harder for me to talk about the sheer freaky what-the-fudginess of the episode we watched, "The Moomin Valley in Spring". The first episode of the 1990 cartoon series sees the gentle watercolour vista of Moominvalley (one word I'm reliably informed despite what it says in the title of the episode right there above) as the scene of a horrifying Twilight Zone style existential nightmare where Moomin is transformed into something like the Sumatran rat monkey from Peter Jackson's BRAINDEAD. Also, the cast of characters reads like a list of urban dictionary entries: I smashed her right in the Snufkin, last week Bruce tugged my Snork Maiden on a pedalo and I've never been able to walk the same way again, do you fancy a Mymble's daughter?  etc.We love to hear from our listeners! By which I mean we tolerate it. Try us on twitter @dads_film, on Facebook Bad Dads Film Review or on our website baddadsfilm.com. Until next time, we remain... Bad DadsYou can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!We love to hear from our listeners! By which I mean we tolerate it. If it hasn't been completely destroyed yet you can usually find us on twitter @dads_film, on Facebook Bad Dads Film Review, on email at [email protected] or on our website baddadsfilm.com. Until next time, we remain... Bad Dads