The trailer for The Squirrel, Finland’s official submission for Best International Feature, arrived today ahead of the film’s International Premiere in main competition at Fantastic Fest. It screens at the Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar in Austin, Texas on September 20, 2026.
The Squirrel (2026) — official poster. Courtesy of Bufo.
Set in the far future, in a sterile world stripped of nature and animals, the film follows Pasi, a lonely designer of synthetic pets who stumbles onto the last surviving squirrel. He decides to break the rules and keep it alive. Things do not go according to plan: the squirrel gets depressed, Pasi falls in love, and the carefully controlled life he built starts coming apart. The publicity materials pitch it as 2001: A Space Odyssey crossed with Dumb and Dumber, which undersells how deadpan the whole thing plays.
The Squirrel is the second feature written and directed by Markus Lehmusruusu (Ricky Rapper and the Strongman), whose previous film was the most-watched Finnish release in Finnish cinemas in 2019. Miro Lopperi (The Hole in the Ground) stars as Pasi opposite Mimosa Willamo (Aurora, Lake Bodom). Misha Jaari and Mark Lwoff (Fallen Leaves, The Innocents) produce for Bufo, with Mikko Kodisoja and Roosa Toivonen executive producing. Max Smeds, F.S.C. serves as director of photography, and Freya Arde composed the score.
The film is a co-production across Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden.
The Squirrel has its International Premiere at Fantastic Fest on September 20, 2026. Schedule and ticket details are at fantasticfest.com.
https://vimeo.com/1112252873
