Rent The Cuckoo (2002)

There's More Than A Few in the World Right Now Who Should Watch This Film... - The Cuckoo review by Strovey

In a niche of its own, The Cuckoo is an anti-war, romantic, comedy, written and directed by a Russian but set in the Finnish Lapland. It is impressive that a film featuring only three protagonists who cannot speak a word of each other’s language is compelling and holds your attention from start to finish. The war rivalry that perhaps many will have little knowledge of is not glossed over, top-notch Russian actor Bychkov is very much aggressive and loyal to the Soviet Union, he stays true to his character throughout but he is not made out to be a crazy, violent, warrior either, just a man, thrown into war. Veikko, played by Ville Haapasalo, is almost an embodiment of Finland, he is in the war, on the side of the Germans, does not want to be and does not want war. Anny could be said to represent life, she has no truck for war and just needs to get things in shape and ready for the oncoming winter, and now with two extra mouths to find she has to work harder. Plus, she is horny, really horny.

In this real-world Tower of Babel nobody quickly learns each other’s language to help the viewer out and misunderstandings continue from the very beginning to the very end of the film. You cannot help feeling that in less skilful or subtle hands this would not be the case. The Cuckoo is all the better for this.

Likewise non-Hollywood films with European sensibilities are not frightened of scenes with no dialogue where the viewer has to figure out themselves what is happening and what motives are being shown. This makes films stronger not weaker, having to work to follow a story, admittedly a compelling story, is more rewarding than being spoon-fed.

What is clearly being said by Rogozhkin is that communication is the answer to all misunderstandings even if you cannot understand what is being said. Working together in a mutually beneficial cause is best for all and conflict and violence bring nothing but misery and fear to everyone. Sounds simplistic and trite, I would say take a look at the world right now – or at any time in the past. So many are not listening.

The film is skilfully filmed in beautiful Lap locations emphasising how hard life can be for the Sami that live there without overstating the point or chocolate-boxing the scenery. All of the actors give top-class performances with Anni-Kristiina holding her own against her more experienced collaborators, Haapasalo and Bychkov, how she can seem sexy is such an unshowy and unsexy film is testament to her performance. In particular, the actors having frustrating and sincere dialogue with each other knowing that the other cannot understand them must have been an odd experience but throughout the film the actors played it perfectly.

Rogozhkin resists the temptation for a nihilistic and ‘war is hell’ ending preferring to finish on a positive and funny note with the misunderstanding of a simple word playing out one last time. All in the director and writer, whilst not bringing us completely original fare, gives us a different, and welcome angle, on misunderstanding and communication problems that highlight the absurdity of war without ever resorting to blood, brutality and bodies piling high.

Logic would suggest that some simple sign language and even crude pictographs would have defused the early misunderstandings but that is not the point of the film. Considering what is happening in the world today it makes the 99 minutes run time even more poignant and definitely sad.

I recommend The Cuckoo and visiting Lapland might not be about Santa Claus ever again.