Tom of Finland (2017) is more than a historical period piece; it explores how art can change the political landscape. By refusing to compromise his vision, Touko Laaksonen helped shape the visual language of the gay liberation movement, influencing everything from the aesthetics of the Village People to high-fashion leather subcultures.
The film introduces us to Touko Laaksonen (Pekka Strang), a man who moves through the post-WWII landscape like a ghost. He is an advertising executive, a lieutenant, a respectable citizen. But he is carrying a secret that is not just illicit, but dangerous. In this era, homosexuality was not merely a taboo; it was a crime, a sickness, a deviance. The opening act of the film is draped in shadows, both literal and metaphororical. We see Touko cruising in parks where the threat of violence—or police entrapment—hangs heavy in the cold air. tom of finland -2017-
Learning More about the Context and “Industry” | by Alison McKeown Tom of Finland (2017) is more than a
The , directed by Dome Karukoski, serves as a poignant cinematic monument to Touko Laaksonen , the visionary artist whose stylized, hyper-masculine illustrations fanned the flames of a global gay revolution. Released during Finland's centenary celebrations of independence, the biopic uncovers the painful history of post-war queer oppression and the joyous catharsis of sexual liberation. Written by Aleksi Bardy, the film tracks Laaksonen's journey from a closeted World War II officer into an international icon of LGBTQ+ resilience. Plot Overview: From War Shadows to California Sunshine He is an advertising executive, a lieutenant, a
Historical Context and Cultural Impact Laaksonen began drawing in the 1940s and started signing his works “Tom of Finland” in the 1950s when his images found publication in underground gay magazines. At a time when homosexuality was widely criminalized and pathologized, his work circulated clandestinely among gay subcultures, influencing leather and fetish communities and, later, mainstream fashion and advertising. Tom’s visual language helped normalize certain expressions of masculinity within queer communities and provided models of desire that resisted assimilation to heteronormative ideals while also offering points of contact with broader cultural motifs (e.g., military, biker, and labor imagery).
This shift was years in the making, but reached a crescendo in 2017. Just a few years earlier, in 2014, the Finnish postal service had released a set of stamps featuring his art, a groundbreaking move that roused widespread public interest. By 2017, this local fame had exploded. In addition to the film's success in Finland, the country saw the debut of a stage musical, “Tom of Finland: The Musical,” and Tom's inclusion in a special set of Finnish national emojis—a testament to his official, beloved status in his homeland.