People on Sunday is filmed with a hand-cranked camera familiar from silent films and the early films of the Lumière brothers. The flickering images and shimmering light produced by this old technology also characterize Viita's film. People on Sunday refers in its title to the German classic Menchen am Sonntag (1930), which is a well-known example of the impact of historical events on the later interpretation of a film. The inexorable passage of time and the beautiful fragility of life are central themes in both films.
