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The Punk Syndrome

Play trailer Poster for The Punk Syndrome 2012 1h 25m Documentary Music Play Trailer Watchlist
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94% Tomatometer 16 Reviews 87% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
Four mentally impaired Finnish musicians form a successful punk band known as Pertti Kurikka's Name Day.

Critics Reviews

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Derek Malcolm London Evening Standard 02/01/2013
3/5
They are a noisy delight if not exactly The Clash. Go to Full Review
Robbie Collin Daily Telegraph (UK) 02/01/2013
3/5
What the film lacks in shape it makes up for in integrity and good humour. Go to Full Review
Peter Bradshaw Guardian 01/31/2013
3/5
This likable documentary about a Finnish punk band whose members are all middle-aged men with learning disabilities opens a window on to another world. Go to Full Review
Jordan M. Smith IONCINEMA.com 02/09/2020
Somewhere in this footage there is a brilliant story of overcoming adversity through the acceptance of the classically outcast, but what is here feels lazy, incomplete, and somewhat exploitative. Go to Full Review
Holly Cooper CineVue 02/08/2019
4/5
A compelling and often brutally direct documentary that confronts attitudes towards mental disability through an inspiring group of punk rockers. Go to Full Review
Chris Knight National Post 12/13/2013
2.5/4
Fun, light-hearted and proof that disability is no barrier to musical success, but it could have benefited from a little more background on the band members. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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09/21/2013 This could be viewed as a darker in tone companion piece to Heavy Load, it's entertaining and shows you just how positive and inclusive the punk music scene can be. See more 05/12/2013 Inhimillisyyden korkea veisu See more 04/08/2013 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. See more 04/05/2013 Realistic, funny and touching. Real life through the eyes of a disabled band members. See more 02/15/2013 No nyt oli hieno ja maanläheinen bändileffa! See more 01/13/2013 Asennetta ja aitoja tyyppejä! :) Punk is not dead! ;D See more Read all reviews
The Punk Syndrome

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Movie Info

Synopsis Four mentally impaired Finnish musicians form a successful punk band known as Pertti Kurikka's Name Day.
Director
Jukka Kärkkäinen, Jani-Petteri Passi
Producer
Sami Jahnukainen
Screenwriter
Jukka Kärkkäinen, Jani-Petteri Passi, Sami Jahnukainen
Production Co
Mouka Filmi Oy, Auto Images, Indie Film AS, Film i Skåne
Genre
Documentary, Music
Original Language
Finnish
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 30, 2016
Runtime
1h 25m