Monsterimies

Monsterman is a fannish music documentary built on the contrast between Lordi’s monstrous appearance and public performances and his relatively normal family background. For example, photographs and drawings from his childhood add colour to the image of the wild metal musician. Together with the testimonies of Lordi’s parents, pictures from the family album form a historical narrative line, which recounts the course of Eurovision. We thus see footage of concerts and pre-show preparations, as well as interviews with loved ones. Paradoxically, the only important person who never appears on camera in all his glory is Lordi himself. Therefore, even in a documentary focused on him, the musician maintains his mystery and the legend lives on. The not very well rhythmised alternation of talking heads, veristic shots and concert footage makes the film subjectively rather long. In terms of content, the documentary is revealing, especially by showing that monsters are also only human. It would be interesting to see how such a humanising portrait of a man who performs as an inhuman being would be received by Lordi’s fans. The film is also a remarkable illustration of the infantilisation of society, or rather of the male part of the population, which is living longer and longer with their parents and escaping from reality into imaginary worlds. 55% (27.03.2017)