Unadorned about the peace broker Arja Saijonmaa who nobbed the Greek god

It starts out a bit unsorted. Specifically, in the big mess in a woman's purse. Arja Saijonmaa can't find the ID card, but her membership to the sauna society. Meanwhile, the camera fixes its gaze on various awards and a framed quote: "Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity". The latter indirectly becomes the motto of Marko Talli's watchable film "Sing för mig Arja!" about the Finnish singer's journey from young left-wing activist to international peace broker.

"It usually starts with a song," says Saijonmaa. Then she unravels her story, which begins with the Student Theatre's cabaret about the Greek dictatorship in the sixties. There she sang a smuggled song by the composer and resistance fighter Mikis Theodorakis, imprisoned and tortured by the military junta that ruled Greece from 1967-1974.

When the duo eventually came together, a special chemistry and artistic love arose. Arja was the Norse Amazon who nods at "the Greek god" when he tries to overthrow her, but the friendship lasts a lifetime and is portrayed with warmth. However, without touching on Theodorakis' later political career and controversies.

But somewhere you have to define a film that is primarily allowed to be about the fight for freedom. With a strong and unfathomably sad voice that lends itself limitlessly to hit songs as well as protest songs, bouzouki beats and tango, Saijonmaa became a bridge builder. Not only in the world, but also between neighboring countries.

When she came to Sweden in the 70s, the prejudiced image of Finns as alcoholics was still prevalent. At the same time, the more multicultural and open society of the Olof Palme era suited Saijonmaa's commitment to peace and human rights, first in Greece and eventually Chile.

Talli's mostly Finnish-language film (with Stina Gardell as co-producer) is rich in input and at least seeks honest answers to questions like why Saijonmaa left Finland and whether she's a diva (that's for others to decide). It will naturally be a subjective image and to some extent a double idol portrait of Arja Saijonmaa and her mentor Mikis Theodorakis. But through the 80's debate about the musical set "Stjärnfall", in which Saijonmaa played Zarah Leander, the artist's dilemma in a politically difficult-to-navigate world, where idealism easily collides with careerism, is briefly highlighted.

Saijonmaa himself quickly became popular in Sweden, but was long despised as an upstart in Finland. In the documentary, archival material is interspersed with contemporary, unvarnished interviews, where she conveys her wonder at the political power of the songs, thoughts about artistic risk-taking and anecdotes. Much has certainly been reproduced before in her two autobiographies, most recently "A Song of Freedom" from 2024. But the film becomes interesting in its own way, thanks in large part to the timing.

It's kind of hard not to be starstruck by Arja Saijonmaa as she appears here. Not least in the clips from the peace concert in Oslo in 1994, where she managed to bring together Israel's then foreign minister Shimon Peres and PLO leader Yassir Arafat, who signed a peace document during the hour-long break. No one, as Saijonmaa says, wants to admit that history repeats itself. But now we're back to square one again.

What she and the film contribute is the feeling of hope. Her unwavering belief that music - and artists with backbone - can actually change is a message inspiring enough at a time when, not least, the Palestine issue once again both divides and mobilizes artists.

See more. Three other contemporary artist documentaries: "Gullan. pianist pedagogue pioneer" (2019), "Filmen om Siw" (2025), "Carola!" (2026)