Tom of Finland

Within the broad canon of gay culture, few images have achieved the level of iconic status ascribed to the cartoony but effectively erotic drawings by Finnish artist Touko Laaksonen (192091), better known as Tom of Finland. Helsinki-born actor Pekka Strang gives a measured and watchable performance as the sizeably talented, leather-loving draughtsman in this intimate portrait by Hollywood-bound director Dome Karukoski, much-decorated in his native Finland. The bulk of the handsomely mounted production follows former soldier Laaksonen as he hones his skills in creating exaggerated male fantasies that are severely at odds with what's on offer in the buttoned-down society following the Second World War. Part-inspired by his time in service, Laaksonen's then illegal and underground pornographic artworks eventually surface in a big way in America, and it's here where the film loses some of its grip. But this first ever Tom biopic really draws you in, and with a certain no-nonsense flair it documents the arc of a modern gay pioneer, from niche appeal to mainstream acceptance, mirroring the gay movement itself.