Jäniksen vuosi (1977)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Risto Jarva

Writers:

Risto Jarva (writer)
Kullervo Kukkasjärvi (writer)

Release Date:

23 December 1977 (Finland)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Young advertising executive Vatanen suddenly quits his job and his whole life in Helsinki, and decides to spend a while in the Finnish wilderness...

Plot Keywords:

Lapland | Wilderness | Advertising | Forest | Animal In Title

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Antti Litja	...	Kaarlo Vatanen
Kauko Helovirta	...	Desk Sergeant
Markku Huhtamo	...	Taxi Driver
Paavo Hukkinen	...	Taxi Driver in Heinola
Juha Kandolin	...	Photographer Miettinen
Kosti Klemelä	...	U. Kärkkäinen
Anna-Maija Kokkinen	...	Lawer Leila Heikkinen
Martti Kuningas	...	Hannikainen, former rural police chief
Ahti Kuoppala	...	Kaartinen
Hannele Lanu	...	Kiosk Vendor
Hannu Lauri	...	Advertising Manager Huhtinen
Heikki Nousiainen	...	Tourist guide Toropainen, "Mr. Toro"
Esa Pakarinen	...	Police Officer #2 (as Esa Pakarinen Jr.)
Martti Pennanen	...	Hunter #1
Tuija Piepponen	...	Irja (scenes deleted)

Also Known As:

Harens år (Finland: Swedish title)
The Year of the Hare (International: English title)

Runtime:

129 min

Country:

Finland

Language:

Finnish | English

Color:

Color (Fujicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:S

Filming Locations:

Helsinki, Finland

Company:

Filminor

Trivia:

Risto Jarva's only film that is based on a book.

Quotes:

Photographer Miettinen: I lost my pal in the woods.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Matka suomalaiseen elokuvaan: Maaseudun lumoissa (#1.5)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Kauppaopiston naiset

One mans escape from society

Jarva's Jäniksen vuosi is one of my favourite Finnish films all time. It is funny and touching at the same time, and the nature cinematography is so beautiful, that it just makes you feel humble.

The story is about how men have become estranged from nature, and how society has chained people inside this concrete hell with rules and regulations. Vatanen (Antti Litja) is a man who has never been too socially active or good with people. He escapes his life in to the forests of Finland with a hare as his partner. Soon he will discover that one can not leave society without society fighting back.

The movie is a beautiful description of the relation between men and nature, and it really gives a good image of Finland in the 70's in a very humorous way. The human/animal relation drama between Vatanen and the hare is done more credibly and pertinently than most of other human relation dramas put together. The only reason I won't give it a 10, is that it's done in a bit overly nature- romanticized way. (The way he survives the harsh winter of Finland outside in a forest without any problems.) It's not very realistic in that way, but in a way, it's questionable if that's relevant or not.