Unknown Soldier (2017)

A film adaptation of Väinö Linna's best selling novel The Unknown Soldier (1954) and the novel's unedited manuscript version, Sotaromaani.

Director:

Aku Louhimies

Writers:

Väinö Linna (novels), Aku Louhimies (screenplay)

Stars:

Eero Aho, Johannes Holopainen, Jussi Vatanen

5 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Eero Aho	...	Rokka
Johannes Holopainen	...	Kariluoto
Jussi Vatanen	...	Koskela
Aku Hirviniemi	...	Hietanen
Hannes Suominen	...	Vanhala
Arttu Kapulainen	...	Susi
Paula Vesala	...	Lyyti
Samuel Vauramo	...	Lammio
Joonas Saartamo	...	Lahtinen
Juho Milonoff	...	Honkajoki
Andrei Alen	...	Rahikainen
Matti Ristinen	...	Sarastie
Diana Pozharskaya	...	Vera
Max Ovaska	...	Määttä
Kimi Vilkkula	...	Sihvonen

Storyline

June, 1941: Trapped between two repressive regimes, Finland has little choice but to ally itself with Nazi Germany against its traditional foe - although it manages to remain a democracy throughout. Virtually unknown in the WW ll arena, a brutal war against Soviet occupation takes place in the Far North. As the men of a Finnish infantry unit march through the forests of Karelia to regain territory lost to Russia in the Winter War of 1939, each of them soon realizes the horror and pointlessness of war. Except for their officers, more concerned about medals and personal glory than the lives of their men. A diverse group of men, all at odds with how they see themselves, each other, and the common cause - yet they are strengthened by a growing bond of camaraderie to each other and their loved ones. After huge personal sacrifice and a prolonged trench war, the outcome is inevitable, ending with a ceasefire in September 1944.

---

Plot Keywords:

continuation war | finland | world war two | based on novel | 1940s | 

---

Genres:

Drama | War

---

Details

Official Sites:

Official Instagram for Unknown Soldier Official site [Japan]

Country:

Finland Belgium Iceland

Language:

Finnish

Release Date:

6 December 2018 (USA)

Also Known As:

Okänd soldat

Filming Locations:

Pahkajärvi, Valkeala, Kouvola, Finland

Box Office

Budget:

€7,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

€1,652,017 (Finland), 30 October 2017, Limited Release

Company Credits

Production Co:

Elokuvaosakeyhtiö Suomi 2017, Kvikmyndafélag Íslands, Scope Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

180 min 135 min (international)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Atmos

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is the third film adaptation of the 1954 best-selling novel of the same name by Finnish author Väinö Linna. The first film was released in 1955 and the second in 1985.

---

Alternate Versions

There are three distinct versions of this film: Finnish version (180 minutes), international version (167 minutes) and miniseries version (271 minutes).

---

Connections

Version of The Unknown Soldier (1955)

---

Soundtracks

Perhe/Family
Written by Lasse Enersen

User Reviews

Not your typical Hollywood movie...very realistic

I enoyed this film very much, i saw it in the theatres here in Sweden. This kind of movie was very new to me since im not used to this kind of realistic film. There was raw emotions and alot of sadness in it, picturing the war as close as it was. This movie has no gloryfication, it showed loss on both side and the horrible sides of war. I very much enjoyed the fact that the war scenes had alot of realistic deaths in it. Not just explosion everywhere but the camera showing us the soldiers' fear and their deaths and letting us see that. We usually do not see this vournable side. Walking over your fellow sodier's body that just got shot in the head and the camera is not looking away . This movie was grim, with a lot of feelings, pain, But it felt intelligent somehow. It felt like a real movie.

Just to make it clear, the movie in swedish theatres was cut shorter so there are some scenes I haven't seen yet. The movie we saw was just over 2 hours while it is actually 3 hours long but theatres here thought it would be way too long and not attract enough audience.