THE SQUIRREL
Special Features: 2027 Oscar® Selection, Finland
[ORAVA]
Sometime in the near future, hygiene and sterility have won out over the natural world. Most animals are extinct and physical contact between humans is forbidden. Engineer Pasi (Miro Lopperi) works to fill this void by creating a line of robotic dogs. He cannot help but feel his life is dull and meaningless, until it gets thrown into complete chaos when he stumbles upon a real, live squirrel. Hesitant at first to make contact with this biohazard, he starts to grow attached to the little guy, much to the dismay of the cute hygiene investigator (Mimosa Willamo) tasked with uncovering the disturbance. Finally feeling alive for the first time, Pasi must break the mold if he wants to save his new friend and finally find happiness. Filmmaker Markus Lehmusruusu’s brilliantly crafted and crowd-pleasing second feature is a heady mix of science fiction, deadpan comedy and wistful romance. –Josh Gardner
DIR/SCR Markus Lehmusruusu; PROD Misha Jaari, Mark Lwoff. Finland/Germany/Netherlands/Sweden, 2026, color, 93 min. In Finnish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
Run Time: 93 Minutes
Opening Date: Friday, December 11, 2026
Genre: Sci-fi comedy
