Kukushka - Der Kuckuck (2002)

The beauty of this movie is that you, as the reader of the subtitles, are the only one who knows what is going on. The woman and the two men all speak different languages. It is a comedy of errors up until the end.

Director:

Aleksandr Rogozhkin

Writer:

Aleksandr Rogozhkin

Stars:

Anni-Kristiina Juuso, Ville Haapasalo, Viktor Bychkov

22 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anni-Kristiina Juuso	...	Anni
Ville Haapasalo	...	Veikko (as Ville Khaapasalo)
Viktor Bychkov	...	Ivan or Psoltõ
Mikhail Korobochkin
Aleksey Kashnikov
Denis Aksyonov
Aleksei Panzheyev
Aleksandr Kuykka
Vladimir Matveev
Aleksandr Zubkin
Vladimir Knysh
Sergei Antonov
Valeri Yakovlev
Sergei Berzin
Aleksandr Melnikov

Storyline

September of 1944, a few days before Finland went out of the Second World War. A chained to a rock Finnish sniper-kamikadze Veikko managed to set himself free. Ivan, a captain of the Soviet Army, arrested by the Front Secret Police 'Smersh', has a narrow escape. They are soldiers of the two enemy armies. A Lapp woman Anni gives a shelter to both of them at her farm. For Anni they are not enemies, but just men.

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Plot Keywords:

russia | chained | captain | soldier | lapp | 

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Taglines:

She's Making Peace One Man at a Time.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | War

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Certificate:

12

Did You Know?

Trivia

While the two actors, Veikko and Ivan, were in the sauna exchanging their life stories, Ivan told Veikko about a former female colleague/friend marrying a horrible man named Viktor Bychkov - which is the name of the actor playing Psholty/Ivan in real life. Probably a deliberate humorous effect by the director.

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Goofs

At the beginning of the film, the Russian jeep with Ivan as a prisoner on it is seen moving on a straight road and at low speed. However, the driver of the jeep makes abrupt steering movements which is incoherent with the path of the jeep shown.

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Connections

Referenced in Enemy (2013)

User Reviews

A small masterpiece of humanity beyond language!

"Why can't we all get along?" asked Rodney King some time ago. This beautiful film speaks to just that...getting along..even without the benefit of common language. A young Lapp widow rescues a Russian soldier near death out in the wastelands...and then gives comfort to a Finnish soldier who had been chained, like Prometheus, to a rock by fellow soldiers. All three manage to live together in the woman's tiny hut without understanding a word of each other's language. Largely thanks to the woman's generosity and kindness the men survive and "get along." It's a lovely example of the feminine principle at work at its best. The images of the stark landscape have a beauty all their own. I couldn't help wondering how we, the audience, would fare in OUR understanding without the aid of subtitles!

I highly recommend this movie...superbly performed by the actors and skillfully directed by Alexander Rogozhkin.

Details

Official Sites:

CTB Film Company [Russia] Sony Classics

Country:

Russia

Language:

Saami Finnish Russian German

Release Date:

14 July 2005 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Kukushka - Der Kuckuck

Filming Locations:

Kandalaksha, Murmansk Oblast, Russia

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$16,473, 13 July 2003

Gross USA:

$243,936

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$480,578

Company Credits

Production Co:

CTB Film Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1