The story was created together with a group of young people, Rosa Kumar Saarinen, Lili Smith, Kastanja Rissanen, Ada Nykvist, Ali Tabassam, and Linda Larkovirta, all of whom also act in the film. Also the crew consists partly of young people.
I remember you, short film, 10 min
A group of young friends arrives at a secluded beach for a weekend of camping. As night falls, strange events unsettle them. When a local man vanishes, they become suspects, questioned by authorities who believe they know more than they admit. But is the true darkness lurking in the shadows… or within?
Actors Rosa Kumar Saarinen, Lili Smith, Kastanja Rissanen, Ada Nykvist, Ali Tabassam, Linda Larkovirta
Story by Rosa Kumar Saarinen, Lili Smith, Kastanja Rissanen, Ada Nykvist, Ali Tabassam, Linda Larkovirta, Marjo Viitala
Director, Screenwriter Marjo Viitala
Cinematography Joni Juutilainen
Editing Saara Välimäki and Mira Puhakainen
Sound Salla Hämäläinen ja Ville Katajala
Costume Linda Larkovirta and Marjo Viitala
Production Design Marjo Viitala
Makeup Linda Larkovirta
Graphic Design Simo Pitkänen
Trailer Juha Lankinen
With support of Art Promotion Centre Finland and City of Helsinki
Critics in Leffahammas (in Finnish)
Article in Kon O’Star (in Finnish)
Article in Vuosaari-lehti (in Finnish)
Director’s statement
I Remember You was created together with a group of young people who also appear in the film. The story emerged through a screenwriting workshop I led for teenagers, where I promised that our work would culminate in an actual film. Their desire to explore horror became the starting point, and the project developed into an ensemble film shaped by their ideas and presence.
I have worked extensively with children and young people both as a film director and as a special education teacher. This background strongly influenced the film’s perspective. The story could not be told from an adult viewpoint; it needed to remain inside the emotional and moral logic of childhood.
In the film, young people commit a horrific act driven not by clear motives, but by imagination, fear, and shared belief. While the story contains supernatural elements, it is ultimately grounded in a reflection on real-world violence. A tragic case in Finland, in which a group of boys murdered one of their peers, made me confront how easily violence is justified through distorted narratives. The reasoning is disturbingly familiar: the idea that the victim somehow deserves what happens to them, and that perception outweighs facts.
This film is not an attempt to explain violence, but to observe how it takes shape — quietly, collectively, and often without a clear boundary between fantasy and reality. The horror lies not in what is shown, but in how easily responsibility dissolves.
Trailer
MARJO VIITALA 