Tom of Finland

2017 • 116 minutes

About this movie

The proudly erotic drawings of artist Touko Laaksonen, known to the world as Tom of Finland
shaped the fantasies of a generation of gay men, influencing art and fashion before crossing
over into the wider cultural consciousness. But who was the man behind the leather? Dome
Karukoski’s stirring biopic Tom of Finland follows his life from the trenches of WWII and
repressive Finnish society of the 1950s through his struggle to get his work published in
California, where he and his art were finally embraced amid the sexual revolution of the 1970s.
Tom’s story is one of love, courage and perseverance, mirroring the gay liberation movement
for which his leather-clad studs served as a defiant emblem.

Ratings and reviews

Great way to tell a story about a man that build the leather community from a fantasy

Beautiful portrait in film of a hero!