Cliff Notes – 5 of the Best Eurovision Films to Stream Before the Grand Final
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Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020): A comedic take on the contest featuring Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams, it has become a fan favourite despite mixed critical reviews.
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Souvenir (2016): Starring Isabelle Huppert, this film follows a retired Eurovision singer attempting a comeback, receiving lukewarm reactions from critics.
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A Song Called Hate (2020): This documentary explores Icelandic band Hatari’s moral dilemmas during a politically charged Eurovision, contrasting activism with performance.
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Monsterman (2014): A documentary about Lordi’s lead singer post-Eurovision victory, it delves into the challenges faced after reaching the pinnacle of success.
- Sounds Like Teen Spirit (2008): A documentary on the Junior Eurovision Contest, it has garnered critical acclaim and focuses on young contestants’ experiences.
Get yourself in the mood for Eurovision 2025 (Picture: EPA/URS)
After 12 months of waiting, the Eurovision Grand Final is almost upon us – 26 countries have now qualified for the big show on Saturday, May 17.
The legendary singing contest is back for another year and this time it’s being hosted by last year’s winners Switzerland, who were represented by singer Nemo.
Taking place in Basel for 2025, the Eurovision party has already started with both semi-finals now done and dusted, with the final line-up settled.
Representing the UK are vocal trio Remember Monday and their song What the Hell Just Happened?, which went down very well during a rehearsal performance during Thursday’s semi-final.
To get you in the mood for all the pageantry and performances, here are five Eurovision-themed films to start your weekend off with in preparation for the Grand Final.
If you start watching them on Saturday morning, you should finish the last one in the list just before the BBC’s coverage, hosted by Graham Norton, begins.
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020)
Will Ferrell was inspired by his wife to create a Eurovision film (Picture: Netflix)
Released in June 2020 on Netflix, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga stars Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams as Icelandic Eurovision hopefuls.
From the small fishing town of Husavik, which is situated on the northern coast of Iceland, Will’s character Lars and Rachel’s character Sigrit journey to Edinburgh to take part.
The film is best remembered for Lars and Sigrit’s suggestive nonsense song Ja Ja Ding Dong, which isn’t even the song they perform at the contest.
While the film only received a lukewarm reaction from critics – the film has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 63% – fans of Eurovision come back to it every year.
The Story of Fire Saga also features cameos from major Eurovision stars from down the years, including Sweden’s double champion Loreen, 2018 Israeli winner Netta, and 2016 Ukraine winner Jamala.
Will came to love Eurovision after being introduced to the contest in 1999 by his Swedish wife Viveca Paulin, 25 years after Abba famously won the competition.
Watch Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga on Netflix.
Souvenir (2016)
Souvenir follows a retired Eurovision singer (Picture: Studio Canal)
Released in 2016 and directed by Bavo Defurne, French film Souvenir tells the story of a fictional forgotten singer who once competed for France at the Eurovison Song Contest.
The film stars legendary French actress Isabelle Huppert, who has starred in movies like The Piano Teacher, Amour, Elle, Greta, and Mrs Harris Goes to Paris.
She’s also been the recipient of three Baftas, a Golden Globe, and an Academy Award nomination after starring in Paul Verhoeven’s 2016 film Elle.
Souvenir follows Isabelle’s character Liliane, who meets a young, aspiring boxer and falls in love, resulting in her trying to make a music industry comeback.
Strangely, the film was given a Christmas release in France, five months before the Eurovision Song Contest usually comes around each year.
Critics were similarly lukewarm on Souvenir as they were on The Story of Fire Saga, with the film’s Rotten Tomatoes rating currently sitting at 52%, however, the site’s top critics see its rating jump to 64%.
Watch Souvenir on Apple TV or Amazon Prime Video.
A Song Called Hate (2020)
It was a test of politics and morals for Harati in 2019 (Picture: Amazon Prime Video)
The 2019 Eurovision Song Contest was marred by controversy in the build-up to the Grand Final, with calls for some to boycott the competition that year.
Israel hosted the contest that year after Netta won in 2018 with her song Toy, and pro-Palestine activists staged protests during the qualifying rounds.
In the middle of this controversy were Iceland band Hatari, who were known for their predominantly left-wing values and provocative stage displays.
A Song Called Hate follows the members of Hatari as they decide whether to boycott Eurovision altogether or use the opportunity to spread their beliefs across Europe.
On Letterboxd, user Oliver compared it to The Story of Fire Saga, saying: ‘Of the movies released in 2020 about Iceland participating in Eurovision Song Contest, this was far superior.’
Spoiler warning: Hatari performed their song Hatrið mun sigra (Hatred Will Prevail) and eventually finished third that year, wowing viewers with their intense display.
Watch A Song Called Hate on OutTV, via Amazon Prime Video.
Monsterman (2014)
Monsterman follows a 2006 Eurovision winner (Picture: Amazon Prime Video)
2006 was another fantastic year for Nordic countries at Eurovision, with Finland’s heavy metal band Lordi reigning supreme over the continent with their song Hard Rock Hallelujah.
Dressed in freakish costumes, Lordi played their hearts out and stormed to victory, finishing almost 50 points ahead of runners-up Russia in the Grand Final and landing Finland’s first Eurovision title.
Hard Rock Hallelujah promised an ‘a-rock-alypse’ and a ‘day of rock-ening’ and that’s exactly what Europe got, with the song charting in 13 European countries after the competition concluded.
Coming eight years after Lordi’s triumph, Monsterman told quite a different story about Lordi’s lead singer, Tomi Putaansuu, better known by his stage name Mr Lordi.
A description of the film reveals Monsterman to be ‘a film about the monster of Lapland, Mr. Lordi, who, after winning the Eurovision Song Contest loses everything, almost everything’.
The documentary follows what happens to a band who reach the top of the world (well, a continent) and have only got one place left to go: downwards.
Watch Monsterman on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.
Sounds Like Teen Spirit (2008)
One documentary focused on Junior Eurovison in 2007 (Picture: Warner/Apple TV)
Sounds Like Teen Spirit – or to give the film its full title, Sounds Like Teen Spirit: A Popumentary – a documentary about the Junior Eurovision Song Contest.
Ever year since 2003, Junior Eurovision has taken place in either November or December – the current champions are Georgia after their entrant Andria Putkaradze won in 2024.
Four years into the competition’s history, Bafta-nominated director Jay Johnson decided to follow the lives of the singing hopefuls during the 2007 contest.
Specifically focusing on the fortunes of Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Georgia, Sounds Like Tike Teen Spirit was a winner with critics.
The winners in 2007 were Belarus, with singer Alexey Zhigalkovich taking home the title with his song S Druz’yami, which translates to With Friends.
The film currently has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 87%, making it the highest-regarded film in this list, and has won awards in France and Denmark.
Watch Sounds Like Teen Spirit on Apple TV.