This weekend, Tom of Finland is hitting theaters. The biopic explores the life of Touko Laaksonen, probably the best known gay erotic artist ever. Until now, the movie was only being shown at festivals; it is now ready for general release.
Laaksonen's drawings depicted well-endowed, hyper-sexualized men. They were stereotypically macho, dressed as cowboys and sailors and police officers and leather men.
Finland’s Oscars selection committee chose Tom of Finland to represent the country in this year’s Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film category. The committee called the film a “beautiful portrait of one of the most internationally famous Finns” and they commended Pekka Strang, who plays the artist, for his “interpretation of Touko Laaksonen’s unique life.”
The Finnish Film Foundation added that “the film is a wonderfully designed and shot period piece.”
Several new clips have been released online to help promote the movie.
In one clip, Doug (Seumas F. Sargent) and Jack (Jakob Oftebro) cruise each other at the gym. When the two end up in the locker room at the same time, they realize they both have a Tom of Finland drawing hanging in their locker.
Another clip reveals how Tom of Finland got his name.
And finally, this clip gives a glimpse of Laaksonen's time in the military during World War II.