Heavy Trip

Heavy Trip (Hevi reissu, En heavy resa) is a Finnish comedy film released in 2018, directed by first-time directors Jukka Vidgren and Juuso Laatio. The comedy tells the story of a small-town heavy metal band's journey to their dream gig in Norway. The movie satirizes heavy metal tropes (a la Metalocalypse and This Is Spinal Tap), with a focus on those relevant to the Finnish and Scandinavian metal scene.

Heavy Trip was first released in Finland on 9 March 2018, followed the very next day by screenings in the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, the very next day, garnering mixed to positive reception from audiences and critics.

The original songs performed in the movie by the band "Impaled Rektum" were composed by Mika Lammassaari, the guitarist of Mors Subita. Eemeli Bodde of Mors Subita provides the vocals for these songs. The rest of the movie's soundtrack was composed by Lauri Porra.

The sequel to the film, Heavier Trip, is set to be released in theaters in the fall of 2024.

Many similarities exist with the French movie Pop Redemption released in 2013, however the relation between both films is unclear.

Plot
In a small village in Northern Finland, Turo (Johannes Holopainen) is the lead singer of an extreme metal band. The band also includes the daredevil drummer, Jynkky (Antti Heikkinen), the walking metal encyclopedia bassist, Pasi (Max Ovaska), and the hot-tempered lead guitarist, Lotvonen (Samuli Jaskio).

The band has been diligently rehearsing covers in the basement of Lotvonen's reindeer slaughterhouse for a decade, but they have yet to play a single gig or write an original song. In addition to Turo's lack of confidence, their quest for a unique sound also presents a challenge, with Pasi inadvertently squashing any attempts at creativity by Lotvonen with his extensive knowledge.

Meanwhile, Turo must navigate his job as a janitor in the town's asylum and compete with the local balladeer, Jouni Tulkku (Ville Tiihonen), for the affections of Miia (Minka Kuustonen). They also face taunts from the other villagers, who view the four metalheads as outcasts.

One day, the sound of a jammed bone saw in Lotvonen's slaughterhouse inspires the four friends to create their first original song, "Flooding Secretions," which they record on a cassette.

Shortly after, the renowned Norwegian promoter, Frank Massegrav (Rune Temte), coincidentally stops at Lotvonen's slaughterhouse in search of reindeer blood. An enthusiastic Jynkky hands him their demo tape, hoping to be invited to the upcoming Northern Damnation rock festival in Norway.

Inspired by this sudden turn of events, the four friends christen their band "Impaled Rektum" and refine their unique "symphonic post-apocalyptic reindeer-grinding Christ-abusing extreme war pagan fennoscandian metal" sound.

At the asylum, Turo befriends patient Oula, a talented drummer whom he helps manage his aggressive behavior by setting up a drum kit for him.

To impress Miia, Turo tells her about a possible upcoming performance at the Norwegian festival, which she spreads throughout the village. As a result, the townsfolk change their view of the four friends, suddenly idolizing them as future stars, which arouses Jouni's jealousy. Instead of clarifying to the villagers that they haven't received confirmation for the festival, Turo, out of embarrassment, sticks to Miia's version and embellishes it.

Eventually, reality catches up with the band members on the night of their first public performance: Frank Massegrav calls Turo to inform them of their rejection from the festival, and a subsequently guilt-ridden Turo vomits on the audience. Having heard the call, a delighted Jouni then publicly exposes Turo's lie, causing him to lose the trust of his fellow villagers, including Miia. As Turo, disheartened, leaves the venue, Jynkky encourages him to go to the festival in Norway on their own to secure a performance.

The same night, Jynkky steals a vehicle for the trip to Norway but has a fatal accident on the way back, trying to avoid hitting a reindeer. The tragic event seems to signal the end of Impaled Rektum, with Pasi returning to his CD store, Lotvonen helping his father with the reindeer slaughter business, and Turo starting to remove all the metal band posters from his room, determined to leave his "metalhead" past behind. After Jynkky's funeral, Miia visits Turo and inspires him not to give up. Reinvigorated by her presence, Turo steals Jouni's van, kidnaps Oula as their new drummer, retrieves Pasi and Lotvonen from their jobs, and exhumes Jynkky's coffin from the cemetery to load it onto the van. They set off for the festival in Norway, determined to fulfill their deceased friend's last wish.

Commissioner Kujanpää, Miia's father, along with Jouni and Miia, pursues the van. He contacts Norwegian border authorities, claiming that the four metalheads are actually a demon-worshipping terrorist group, but the border guards mistakenly stop a different van filled with men dressed as Arabs on their way to a bachelor party.

During the capture and shooting of the wrong van, Turo, Pasi, Lotvonen, and Oula arrive and are allowed to pass through, entering Norway. Realizing their mistake, the Norwegian authorities team up with the Finnish police and resume their pursuit of the four friends.

During their journey, the band's van crashes and ends up stranded on the edge of a cliff. With no way out, and with the police and military closing in, they hear faint echoes of metal music in the distance and see their destination on the horizon. They decide to dive off the cliff, with Jynkky's coffin, emerging on a beach a few kilometers away. They run into a group of fantasy role-playing game enthusiasts, who help them get to the festival by recreating a Viking longship. At the festival, they are welcomed by Frank, who, in light of their recent "adventures" and newfound "metal" reputation, allows them to perform as guests of honor.

Miia, her father, and Jouni finally catch up to the festival where, impressed by Turo's determination, Kujanpää gives his blessing to the couple. Turo eventually confesses his feelings for Miia, and they share a kiss before the band's performance.

The long-awaited performance starts as another fiasco, with Turo experiencing a panic attack and vomiting on the audience again. However, after glimpsing Miia, Turo gathers the courage to overcome his fears and, with a sustained growl, restarts the song, delivering a triumphant performance. After the concert, the four friends are arrested.

The film ends with Turo's voice in the background, stating that sometimes it's better to act first and then think about the consequences. He reflects on how his friends might take the likely arrests and imprisonment resulting from the incidents: Pasi is satisfied, Lotvonen will probably miss his reindeer, and Oula probably doesn't care either way, as he has experienced some freedom from his internment. Regardless of how it all turns out, says Turo, people will still hear about Impaled Rektum.

Production
Jukka Vidgren and Juuso Laatio met and began their collaboration while attending film school. They initially worked together on a school project—a mockumentary-style short film about a heavy metal band named Impaled Rektum. Initially planning a large-scale post-apocalyptic sci-fi project, they found it too ambitious and opted to expand their earlier school project instead. This decision was made in November 2011, and five years later, their film was completed. The directors aimed to blend lighthearted comedy with the edgy and modern aspects of heavy metal, drawing inspiration from various sources including "This is Spinal Tap," "The Blues Brothers," and "The Simpsons".

Music
The soundtrack of the film features contributions from several notable musicians in the Finnish metal scene. Lauri Porra of Stratovarius wrote most of the original soundtrack. Key tracks performed by the fictional band "Impaled Rektum" were composed by Mika Lammassaari and Eemeli Bodde from the Finnish melodic death metal band Mors Subita, who have collaborated with the directors since the music video for their debut album "The Sermon." Bands Mokoma and Diablo also made significant contributions.

Reception
The film has become a cult-classic among fans and the heavy metal community since its release and holds a score of 94% on Rotten Tomatoes.