Review of The Punk Syndrome (2012) by Byron B — 25 Apr 2013

I saw this at the 2013 Cleveland International Film Festival. The Finnish punk band Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät deals with many of the same issues other bands face. Pertti Kurikka, the namesake of the band, is the lead guitarist and main songwriter for the group.

Kari is the singer. Sami is the bassist. And Toni is the drummer. The punk rock attitude is a great fit for these four men with mental handicaps, who just want to be treated with dignity and respect. Pertti shares some sad stories from his past and talks about some of his emotional challenges.

Kari sings a great song in the recording studio about his hate for pedicurists and seeks some freedom over his own actions, especially when spending time with his girlfriend. Sami is interested in politics and seems to constantly, but accidentally, have a way of irritating both Pertti and Kari.

Toni, the youngest of the group and the quietest, deals with the prospect of moving out of his parents' home for a group home and a broken heart. We see their manager Kalle as he assists them professional and tries to be there personally for them too.

We witness rehearsals, recording sessions, tours, concerts, and a bit of each of their personal lives through the moment they experience the triumph of releasing their first album. Punk lyrics are often growled and yelled so rapidly that it can be hard to catch them all in any language, so it was a blessing to have subtitles, which only increased my appreciation of their music.