”Kohta 18” (Almost 18), director and writer Maarit Lalli’s first feature film, has received positive responses from critics and audiences. The film tells five boys’ distinct yet interconnected stories. The common denominator for the stories is not only the boys’ friendship, but the struggles they face with their parents and themselves, while they are pursuing independence. In essence the movie is about youth as well as friend and family relationships. The film manages to depict the lives of these five boys in Helsinki from a fresh perspective – the main characters are not troubled or extraordinary youths, but instead quite normal young men with everyday problems. The actors (even though they are amateurs) convince in their roles making their characters easily relatable, eliciting empathy from viewers. 《即将18 》是本片导演及编剧Maarit Lalli的首部故事片。迄今为止该片已经得到了电影评论家与观众的不少好评。该片讲述了五个男孩独特的却又互相关联的故事。将这些故事融合到电影中的是他们在追求独立时彼此间的兄弟情以及面对父母与自我时的奋斗挣扎。从本质上来说，这是一部关于青春、友情与亲情的电影。 该片成功地以全新的角度描绘了五位赫尔辛基男孩的生活：故事的主人公不是那些到处制造麻烦或者天赋异禀的年轻人，而是那些普通青年，他们遇到的是生活中常有的破事儿。通过演员们（虽然他们不是专业演员）的演绎，观众很容易产生共鸣，并能感同身受。
