Lampaansyöjät

Forester Sepe and branch manager Valtteri meet at the start of their summer vacation at the beach hotel in Kalajoki and launch the 'Operation Sheep Eaters' they planned for the winter. They celebrate with a bottle of cognac in the hotel room, plotting how they will execute their scheme. The mood is conspiratorial as they set out the project that will drive the rest of the trip.

In the morning they drive north through Oulu and spend the night in a travel home. They wake up at four in the morning when an innkeeper disturbs them and prepare to execute their plans as the sun rises. The road trip marks the transition from vacation relaxation to criminal plans.

Sepe swaps the car's license plates to obscure their trail. They locate grazing sheep, and Valtteri shoots one, then they drain its blood and sever the legs with an axe, leaving the rest by the owner’s fence. The act demonstrates their willingness to commit violence to feed their scheme.

While shopping, they arrange a postal address for 150 marks, which Sepe fills out with a typewriter to conceal their involvement. The move shows their careful planning to mislead authorities and keep records off their trail. The moment tightens the sense that they are managing an elaborate deception.

They drive a motorboat to a lake island and set up camp. As the mutton cooks in a cauldron, they discuss politics and drink; Valtteri gets drunk and falls into the lake, refusing to come back to the tent to dry off. The scene blends dark humor with their stubborn camaraderie.

In the morning, they recover from their hangovers with fresh brews and prepare braised lamb to continue their rambling feast. The meal provides a bleak but dutiful sustenance as their scheme lumbers on. The mood remains stoic and wry as they plan the next move.

The duo grows tired of island life and heads to the 'paint village', visiting the cinema and arcades. After spending time at a hotel in Suomutunturi, they feel ready for another attack and continue their peculiar project. The small-town diversions contrast with their grim purpose.

Valtteri shoots a second sheep and they haul the whole animal back to camp. They gut the animal, fill the cavity with rice, potatoes, onions and spices, and bake it in a clay crust in a heated pit beneath a campfire. They wait and drink as the roast slowly cooks, savoring the gruesome meal.

A group of scantily clad German women canoe on the opposite shore and approach their camp to buy food. The sight of the butchered remains horrifies them, and the men pivot the roast to avoid confrontation, barely avoiding a clash with 'bad women'. The moment reveals the moral distance between the men and their surroundings.

The pair continues north, stopping at a liquor store and checking their trash can left from the previous summer at a familiar gravel pit. They indulge in philosophical discussions while the road stretches ahead. The routine of inspection and debate marks a quiet, repetitive rhythm to their journey.

They decide to visit Norway to see the Arctic Ocean, extending their expedition beyond Finland. The plan adds a sense of scale to their trip as they chase distant landmarks. The talk hints at a longing for grand horizons even as their actions remain morally hollow.

On the way back they run over a sheep and fear the consequences of exposure since Norway is part of NATO, prompting them to abandon the carcass by throwing it into a river. The incident underscores their anxiety about international scrutiny and legal trouble. The act reveals their constant tension between thrill and fear.

Back at the gravel pit where their tent is set, they get drunk and pretend life has returned to normal. The closing mood is bleak, with humor masking a sense of futility. They drift toward sleep with the banal comfort of routine.