Monday, February 7, 2011

Mental Health Hotline

Kukushka

Kukushka (2002)

The story begins in the front of Lapland in September 1944. In punishment for his attempted defection, the Finnish soldier Vekjo is abandoned and chained in a hill, armed with a rifle and some supplies to act as a sniper suicide. Shortly after coincidentally comes at the same place Ivan, a Russian captain arrested for alleged anti-attitudes, which looks like it moves jeep was attacked by enemy aircraft, being injured. Both will be hosted by Anni, a Lapp peasant widow who lives on a lonely farm near the site. Since that time established a number of peculiar relationships between the three characters, unable to communicate by speaking different languages, and forced to live in this remote hamlet.

Kukushka is a recent Russian production, directed by Aleksandr Rogozhkin filmmaker, who was also responsible for writing the script the film. The title Kukushka ("The Cuckoo") refers to the way in which the Russians called the Finnish sniper positions as well also refer to the family nickname Anni's character, the peasant Lappish states carry.

The Kukushka history is a clear account of dyes antiwar gathering in principle antagonistic characters in a remote and isolated spot, unable to communicate by the language barrier and have to be understood. A starting point of argument is reminiscent of John Boorman film "Hell Pacific ", although in this case the female character of Annie comes to add a neutral point of view the two men in top enemies. The best of the film is, in my point of view, in the first half hour of footage, which, with a slower pace but with accuracy, the director is showing us the characters while showing the harsh climatic conditions site through an evocative use of images that makes up for the absence of dialogue. However, once the three characters meet, the film ends to find the right thread to develop the issues raised in depth.

And this is mainly due to that, in the end it is a collection of somewhat disjointed situations, and some dialogs not without some humor, caused by the inability of the characters to understand each other. But the human aspect and anti-war, a priori, it had the story has just taken place and gives the feeling that I could have made much more juice to it. And this despite the only correct interpretation of the trio work of leading actors, all unknown, but meet with reliability in their respective roles, despite the constraints of a script that is missing a major point of imagination.

Nevertheless, it is undeniable that Kukushka offers a completely new story, but with a touch of originality that do not exempt interest. A title that will appeal to lovers of European cinema, though it offers a story that could have given more of himself has been told with greater expertise.

Rating: 5.5 / 10

0 comments:

Post a Comment