Ne 45000: A very loud, very sad movie about germs

Is this worth your time?

Honestly, you should only watch this if you are a massive history nerd or if you have a weird obsession with how people used to make PSAs before TV existed.

If you want to feel happy or see a tight plot, stay away. This movie is a total downer.

But if you like seeing how movies can be used as weapons for public health, it's actually kind of cool. 🤒

The whole vibe is just... heavy.

The title refers to the 45,000 people in Finland who were getting sick with TB every single year back then.

That is a huge number for a small country. The movie doesn't let you forget it for even a second.

It starts out feeling like a normal drama, but then it keeps cutting to these documentary scenes that feel like they belong in a school classroom. It is a bit jarring, to be honest.

I found myself getting distracted by the weirdly tall hats the men wear in the early scenes.

There is a lot of finger-pointing in the script. It really wants you to know that if you don't wash your hands or if you live in a dusty house, it is basically your fault if you get sick.

The acting is very... theatrical. Lots of wide eyes and clutching of chests. 🎭

I think I saw Siiri Angerkoski in a tiny role, and she's usually great, but everyone here is just so miserable.

There is a scene with a microscope that goes on for way too long. I get it, germs are small and scary.

You can tell the director, Risto Orko, really cared about the message. Sometimes he cared more about the message than making the scene look natural.

The lighting in the hospital scenes is actually pretty good, though. It has this bright, sterile look that makes the actors look even more pale than they probably were.

I noticed one extra in the background of the sanatorium scene who looked like he was trying really hard not to laugh while the lead was crying.

It’s not exactly a horror movie like The Black Cat, but the way they talk about the 'white plague' is definitely meant to give you the creeps.

It’s much more preachy than something like The Three Godfathers, which handles its 'doing the right thing' themes with a bit more grace.

There is a weirdly long sequence showing the construction of a hospital. It felt like I was watching a corporate video for a second.

I wonder if the people watching this in 1933 were actually scared or if they were just bored. Probably a bit of both.

The music is loud. Very loud. It hits you over the head whenever something sad happens, which is basically every five minutes.

One thing that stuck with me was how they showed the 'modern' medical tech of the time. It looks like medieval torture equipment now.

I kept thinking about how glad I am that we have antibiotics now. That’s probably the main takeaway.

The fictional part of the story is about a girl named Helmi, I think. Her family is just falling apart because of the sickness.

It’s hard to get attached to the characters when the movie keeps stopping the story to show you a chart of death rates.

The editing is a bit choppy. Some cuts feel like the film was literally slapped together with tape.

I missed some of the dialogue because the sound quality on the old print I saw was pretty fuzzy. 🔊

But you don't really need to hear the words to know what’s happening. If someone is coughing into a handkerchief, it’s bad news.

There is a bit of a romance subplot, but it feels very forced. Like, 'we should get married, but wait, I have a lung spot!'

It’s a very specific kind of 1930s melodrama that feels totally alien today.

I liked the outdoor shots of the Finnish countryside. They look peaceful, which is a nice break from all the talk about bacteria.

Ultimately, Ne 45000 is a museum piece. You don't watch it for fun; you watch it to see how things used to be.

It makes you appreciate not living in a time where a cough meant your life was over.

The ending is... well, it’s exactly what you’d expect from a movie made by a health committee. 🧼

Don't expect any twists. Just expect a lot of advice on how to live a clean life.

I’m going to go wash my hands now.