Probable Cause

"In January 2012, Henri Airos little sister was killed in a hit-and-run by a repeat drunk driver. In that instant, his familys life was divided into what was before and after. While the Airo family struggled with the loss, the national media covered the crash and the subsequent police investigation extensively. The police focused on technical detailscrash simulations, blood testswhile media narratives reduced the case to a drama between the innocent victim and the malicious perpetrator. The resulting documents and reports examined drunk driving and alcoholism in Finnish society but largely ignored the social circumstances surrounding addiction. In 2018 Airo came across the original police report. It felt incomplete. Together with primary eye-witnesses and actors, Airo began to re-visualise scenes which had been glossed over in the documents. Probable Cause draws on media and police archives, re-enactment and Airos personal testimony to understand the circumstances of his sisters death. By restructuring existing narratives, the project reveals multiple personal perspectives embedded within the official record. In reconstructing the perpetrators day, speculation and doubt become entry points for reflecting on how addiction is perceived in Finnish society."