The Cuckoo

This is a beautiful, whimsical, slow film. The opening in particular is almost static. In 1944 a Finnish SS officer is chained by way of punishment to a rock in the grey, rough and forested landscape from which his fellow German forces are retreating. At the same time nearby a Russian officer, accused of treason, is the sole survivor of friendly fire on his convoy. A local Lapp woman, whose husband is in the War, finds the Russian and drags him back to her hut. Whilst nursing him the Finn, who has freed himself, arrives at the same hut - and the three begin to live together.

The film now shifts from solemn poetry to whimsical tender-heartedness and comical observations about human communication. None of the three know either of the others' languages, but the viewer, who has subtitles for all three, can smile at their misunderstandings, and admire the acuity which occasionally comes of growing mutual understanding (although not growing knowledge of each others' languages: they do not form a pidgin). The film's contempt for war is voiced by the Finn, who eventually brings the bristling older Russian round to supra-national friendship with him. Their Lapp host wants the Finn for sex and, failing him, the Russian. Part way through the film leaflets dropped from aeroplanes inform them that Finland is no longer in the War. Eventually both men, dressed identically in reindeer skins, leave for home and part for their different homelands on a hilltop. Some years later the Lapp recounts this story to her twin sons, who are named after their two possible fathers.

This Russian film is in fact shot in Siberia. It is a paean to Finnish-Russian friendship - something felt on both sides to this day, in part due to Russian treatment of Finland at the end of the War. It also has considerable respect for Lapp religion. A smiling, meditative film.