What I love about movies (and series) is the opportunity to be transported to places I’ve never been, nor will likely ever see in person. Recently I told you about a very cool streaming service called Topic, which specializes in foreign and crime films and series. For 5 bucks per month!
I’ve just finished watching a Finnish series called Piece of My Heart and, indeed, I was taken to Finland and, more importantly, was introduced to characters I haven’t seen before.
Rita and Laura are work partners at the child welfare agency. A lot of their routine will remind you of a cop series: the veteran (Rita, played by Lotta Lehtikari) paired up with newcomer Laura (Niina Koponen) as they spend long days in the car going from case to case, working hard to protect children from harm, mainly involving living situations.
Also like a cop show, cases come in and out of the narrative intermittently. I should say that, thankfully, there is nothing involving super young kids or anything that will break your heart. As a father of 4 daughters, that would be tough for me to watch.
Instead, a lot of the storyline involves troubled teens and throughout the entire series we see hints of a haunted past involving Rita. I love this character – she’s a chain-smoking, no make-up wearing rebel who isn’t afraid to talk back to the boss. Laura, meanwhile, is a young mother whose patient husband and young daughter are starting to tire of Laura’s long work days and frequent emergency calls.
I must say that the series is a bit slow to start – perhaps because it is necessary to set up multiple characters before delving more deeply into the pay-offs.
But stick with it – there is a central mystery to solve of a missing young girl, and as Rita eventually has to confront her own troubled childhood, we start to get all of the answers to our questions.
There’s a well-cast troupe of supporting actors, and the locations might give you the shivers-but only because the skies are gray and the ground is frozen.
Yes, I enjoyed my time in Helsinki and I kinda mourn the fact that a woman pushing 50 with very normal attributes for her age and her character, could never be the star of an American series.
Piece of My Heart | 8 Episodes | Crime Drama | Now on Topic
