You Only Die Once

Abstract

Kesään 1943 sijoittuva You Only Die Once kertoo partisaani-iskussa vammautuneesta Elvistä sekä hänen nuoremmasta veljestään Eetusta. He ovat perheensä ainoat selviytyjät, ja he yrittävät sopeutua uuteen alkuun kaukana kotoa, tätinsä luona. Elvi yrittää saada kontrollia elämäänsä ja huolehtia Eetusta, mutta Eetu kiinnostuu salatansseista, jotka tuo pintaan Elvin käsittelemättömän trauman. Elvi ei tiedä miten jatkaa normaalia elämää ilman alituista muistutusta perheensä kohtalosta, mutta samalla hän myös kaipaa ilonpitoa ja tanssia.

Logline: In 1943, a young woman crippled by partisans, tries to keep her brother away from illegal dance parties because they keep reviving her suppressed trauma. She must decide between keeping her brother safe or living again.

Synopsis: Film script of summer 1943 when dancing is banned in war torn Finland. 17 years old Elvi and her younger brother Eetu are the only survivors of a partisan attack and travel to live with their Aunt. Haunted by the memories, crippled Elvi tries to keep on going and take care of Eetu, and have some control in her life. But things get complicated when Eetu wants to keep going to the illegal dance parties, which is what brings the trauma back to Elvi’s life.

Elvi’s negative reaction towards dancing alienates her from Eetu and from the few nice things in her life. Elvi drowns herself into work and struggles to move on until she meets wounded soldier Johannes. His coping with his trauma encourages Elvi to start healing her crippled leg and her soul by dancing. When Elvi is hurt and reneged by Johannes, Elvi’s need for control surfaces again and she decides to take greater measures to move on by stopping the dances for good. But her actions get her even more stuck in the past and cause Eetu to get hurt.

After reliving her trauma, Elvi accepts that she needs to confront her past to be actually able to move on, and is able to make things right with herself and others. She actively patches her wrongdoings by making amends with Eetu, Johannes and all the people she has hurt, and in the end she is able to live and dance again.