Soundbreaker

"In Finnish, the word 'accordion' is a synonym for 'asshole'," explains Finnish accordionist Kimmo Pohjonen, who started to play the instrument at a young age to please his father but felt ashamed of it for a long time. But he's over that now, as we see in Soundbreaker. Pohjonen reveals himself to be an avant-garde "power accordionist," bridging the gap between rock, folk, jazz and classical music. The documentary shows one man's lifelong struggle to find his own way of expression. Bending and breaking the rules, tampering with the bellows, adding electronic devices, sampling noises of animals and earth machines on English farms, he pushes sound to its extremes and shatters everything you know about the accordion. He performs his compositions with some of the finest guitarists and drummers and collaborates with the Kronos String Quartet. Director and cinematographer Kimmo Koskela tells Pohjonen's story with sparse words. The main thrust of this sumptuously photographed film lies in stylized moments alternating gutsy bravado and tender grace, in which we see and hear the accordionist, not just onstage but also when ice diving, driving around in his beloved classic car, and hitting himself in his attempt to find the melody of his own voice. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)