Alternate Best Actor 2016: Jarkko Lahti in The Happiest Day In The Life Of Olli Mäki

Jarkko Lahti did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying the titular character of The Happiest Day In The Life Of Olli Mäki. 

The Happiest Day In The Life Of Olli Mäki follows a true story of a Finnish boxer getting his shot at a championship belt against an American fighter. 

The film joins the long list of films following the most cinematic sport, the boxer. You have one man against one man, but really all these films tend to be one man against something else, The Happiest Day In The Life Of Olli Mäki being a film right within that thematic idea. The film this most closely resembles in fact is Rocky, not just because he's a boxer, but the whole experience is similar in we get this guy, who is a workaday boxer being thrust into what seems a chance of a lifetime. Similarly, Lahti's performance is similar to Sylvester Stallone, as this rather meek guy in what is a ferocious line of work. Lahti when he comes onto screen screams neither fighter or star even, yet neither is a criticism.  Lahti's performance rather exemplifies a man, being a man, as we follow him in his hometown attending a local celebration. We see Lahti's work, and in every question, he gets about his boxing, Lahti delivers the lines not quite with annoyance, but a kind near disinterest, as someone just responding to questions about his job, not necessarily where his true passions lie in a way, or perhaps this is just the way he goes about his passion. Where we see Olli more interested is in a local woman Raija (Oona Airola). 

The chemistry between Lahti and Ariola is key to the film, and the chemistry again I'd say is similar to the famous Rocky/Adrian dynamic, in creating just an earnest emotional romantic feeling that isn't about the big more lustful overtures, it is rather two people finding a pure and absolute comfort between the two of them. Lahti just shows the purity of the joy he shares in the moments between Olli and Raija. There is a sense of discovery in every conversation, a sense of warmth in every glance between them, and the nature of the love is just the truth between them. Lahti's performance brings the needed sincerity as he explains to his manager that he thinks he's in love. The explanation again isn't with this broad statement as though to convince himself, Lahti says it is just as fundamental as the sky is blue, it is just what it is. The earnestness of the relationship is that of just profound connection that doesn't need even grand statements behind it just two people loving each other. The two of them show this in every interaction with each other and they complete each other through a simple compliment. They are wonderful together and you are fully granted the sense where Olli's happiness lies with this relationship and far less so the upcoming boxing match.

The boxing match against the romance then becomes the central conflict as his manager pushes him away from Raija and tries to get him to stay fixated on the match as the most important thing in his life. Lahti shows that the nature of Olli is seeking happiness in the simple joys of life, not the grand stakes of becoming champ. At the press conference his delivery of potentially not winning the match is basically as "if it goes that way it goes", it isn't the end of the world to him either way. When Raija leaves due to being ignored by Olli and being moved around to focus on other things, that is where we see the greatest distress in Olli. Lahti's performance realizes this naturally just as the man is in a state of discomfort though not as great anguish, but the sense of the man being out of step. In every conversation there is a low-level sense of frustration, every act preparing for the fight there is an annoyance of the man not having what he really wants, which is being in the presence of Raija. That discomfort only leaves him when she returns, making it so he can face his opponent without that frustration. The showdown itself not being the focus like Rocky though, with Olli not seemingly needing to prove anything, instead losing rather quickly to his opponent. Lahti is great though in the scene after this as he recounts the fight. I think Lahti importantly shows that it isn't meaningless as he speaks with being a bit taken aback by just how good his opponent was, some sadness even as we see there was something to the fight, even if it was not the most important thing in the world for him. Of course, we see the latter idea come back as he reunites with Raija again, and there Olli is perfectly contented. We see the man being where he wants to be, with the woman he loves, and Olli is living his happiest life. Jarkko Lahti's performance isn't one about big moments, but realizing the small moments throughout. Every small moment delivering a sincere authenticity of a man finding joy not through the big fight, but rather the quiet romance.