Soap Fever

In Finland in the early 1990s, times are economically hard, even as the glamorous TV series THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL becomes hugely popular.

Finland's neighbouring country, the Soviet Union, has collapsed, contributing to widespread job and income loss. The soap opera THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL depicts the rich and beautiful, a reality far removed from the everyday lives of many Finns. Large parts of the population find comfort in the series. Actors from the show are even flown in to Finland, where they are met by frenzied fans. The documentary SOAP FEVER alternates between TV footage from the nineties and the present day, alongside dreamlike sequences and animations, showing the nation's obsession with American soap operas.

Liv-Hilde Siri Dimmestøl