Aki Kaurismäki Calls Markus Lehmusruusu's 'The Squirrel' a Masterpiece

Markus Lehmusruusu just got the kind of blessing that matters. His futuristic drama The Squirrel landed the Finnish Oscar submission slot, and Aki Kaurismäki—a filmmaker whose taste is basically unimpeachable—already called it a masterpiece.

Here's the real flex: Kaurismäki didn't just say it was good. He compared it to 2001: A Space Odyssey, then went deeper and said what makes The Squirrel better is that it's soaked in humanism. That's the kind of thing a director lives on—not just praise, but the right kind of praise from the right person. Lehmusruusu clearly got it too, telling Variety he really loved hearing that take.

When a legend like Kaurismäki—a guy who doesn't do empty flattery—puts his name behind something at this level, it changes the conversation real quick. The Squirrel was already headed to the Oscars, but now there's real momentum and legitimacy behind it.

Let's see if the Academy feels what Kaurismäki saw.

Read the full story at Variety → https://variety.com/2026/film/global/markus-lehmusruusu-oscar-submission-squirrel-kaurismaki-1236863403/