The Cuckoo
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| The Cuckoo | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Aleksandr Rogozhkin |
| Written by | Aleksandr Rogozhkin |
| Starring | Anni-Kristiina Juuso Ville Haapasalo Viktor Bychkov |
| Running time | 105 mins |
| Country | Russia |
| Language | Finnish Russian Saami |
| IMDb profile | |
The Cuckoo is a 2002 film directed by Aleksandr Rogozhkin. Its Russian title is 'Kukushka.'
It stars Anni-Kristiina Juuso, Ville Haapasalo, and Viktor Bychkov. The premise is three people stuck alone in the wilderness during World War 2 and who are unable to speak each other's languages. The three main characters are Veikko, a young Finnish soldier who's abandoned and left to die by his fellow soldiers for cowardice; Ivan, a Russian captain who is about to be tried for treason; and Anny, a solitary Sami woman who takes them in.
The setting is in the region of the Kola Peninsula. It begins with Veikko, who is left chained to a rock as a punishment for cowardice. We later get introduced to Ivan, who is on his way to trial after it is discovered he had anti-Soviet feelings written in his diary. We later see Anny, whose husband was conscripted and has been gone for four years. As they're taking Ivan to trial, his squad gets attacked by friendly fire. He gets injured but survives, and is rescued and nursed back to health by Anny. Days later, Veikko cleverly manages to escape and stumbles upon Anni's small farm; she accepts him as her guest.
The three individuals know nothing of each other's language, and hardened, cynical Ivan displays a visceral hatred towards the lively, idealistic Veikko, calling him a Fascist, while Veikko tries to convince him otherwise by explaining that he was a conscript and that he never agreed with Finland's alliance with the Axis Powers. Anny meanwhile, has been lonely for four years and openly displays a sexual attraction to both men.
After a language misunderstanding, Ivan nearly kills Veikko, but is saved by Anny's mystical healing and dog howling skills. Ivan realizes he was excessively hard on Veikko, and they eventually make up. Ivan and Veikko decide to leave the wilderness before winter begins, and Anny makes them each heavy fur clothing for their journey. Both men head their separate ways to their respective countries.
In the end, its revealed that Anny has been narrating her experiences to her two twin boys, which are identified by Anny as sons of Veikko and Ivan.
