Jope’s siblings were moved at the advance screening of the documentary film about their brother in Kemi. The movie \”Jope it\” comes to theaters on Friday.
Numerous stories and comments from family members, friends and colleagues shed light on Jope Ruonansuu’s personality and his path from a bullied schoolboy to a beloved entertainment all-rounder.
– That Jope wasn’t a big Star among our close ones, we had our own sense of humor between us. Of course, I’m very happy that the film has been made, even though you have to swallow a little, Ulla Ruonansuu sighs with tears in her eyes.
Unprecedented material has been found in the documentary, which was also new to the sister.
– I hadn’t seen any videos of band work from school days. It’s great that they have been spared.
Word input, soul sympathy, teleplay mood
– I was a bit of a talker. We drove around Finland in a car or had a sauna in a cabin, tossed around crazy ideas. Jope made my brain tickle too. Quite a few records were made with the group.
The importance of the collaboration speaks volumes for the fact that after Jope’s death, Sepo has taken a back seat to writing songs. However, as a drummer, he gigs with the band.
Did Jope bounce his brother, who is a couple of years younger?
– Of course, he was a big brother. Especially as a child he was the chief, as an adult of course not anymore. Jope did a lot for me, and I did, but it was nice.
– It was the sympathy of souls, something like televs. If one thought the idea congealed, the other threw a new worm on the hook and off we went again.
\”Now Jope got his own movie\”
A feature film was Jope’s dream. Ruonansuu and Talli planned a story about Jope’s character Mauri the trucker, but it was not realized.
– Now Jope got his own movie, says Marko Talli, who worked as both screenwriter, director and producer.
The documentary also tells what can be found behind the comedian’s tears.
– I wanted to make a film that also touches those for whom Jope’s humor doesn’t mean so much. Some people love Jope’s humor, but not everyone likes it.
The trauma of being bullied weighed down
The bullying he experienced in his childhood and youth weighed heavily on Jope. Even friends didn’t necessarily understand how big and long-lasting the bullying was for Jope.
– This is an important social theme of the film. Bullying and surviving it, building a career despite being mistreated, that’s an important theme for me, says Mika Räinä.
The film also strongly conveys Jope’s versatile skills. He grew up to be the artist of the whole nation, especially with his skills as a comedian, but he was also much more.
– Jope lived with the radar on, his strength was observation. Whether it was a power-hungry person, a public figure or the neighbor’s grouchy old man, Jope could find ideas and take them into any form, into a song or a sketch or a live performance. At the end of the day, Jope was revealed to be a caricature artist, he knew how to do imitations visually as well, says Marko Talli.