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| Wille Haapsalo | Veiko |
| Anni-Kristina Usso | Anni, Anny |
| Viktor Bychkov | Ivan 'Getlost' |
| Aleksei Kashnikov | |
| Mikhail Korobochkin |
| Alexandr Rogozhkin | Director, Screenwriter |
| Dmitriy Pavlov | Score Composer |
| Yulia Rumyatseva | Editor |
| Sergei Selyanov | Producer |
| Andrei Zhegalov | Cinematographer |
Anonymous
Posted October 1, 2010
THE CUCKOO (Kukushka) is a small miracle of a film. It is not only a unique story but one that draws us into the individual lives of three people form different languages and backgrounds who bond in time of war because of their mutual isolation. It is at once charming, gently humorous, and deeply touching. Taking place during WW II during the little known Russo-Finnish War, the setting is Lapland. We first encounter a Finnish student/soldier Veikko (Ville Haapasalo) being chained by the Russians to a rock in a German SS uniform as punishment for his disillusionment in the war effort, thinking that he will be killed as the enemy. In another area some Russian soldiers are transporting a Russian poet/soldier Ivan (Viktor Bychkov) condemned for his anti-Communist stance: the jeep transporting Ivan is bombed, killing the soldiers except for Ivan. Along comes a little Lapp girl Anni (Anni-Kristiina Juuso), finds the severely injured Ivan, drags him to her hut and nurses him back to health. Meanwhile Veikko ingeniously frees himself from his rock and wanders into the presence of Anni. Veikko speaks Finnish, Ivan speaks Russian and Anni (aka 'Cuckoo') speaks Sami and the three cannot understand each other's language or customs. Ivan sees Veikko as a fascist and wants to destroy him Veikko never wanted to be in the war anyway so he pacifies Ivan Anni is more concerned with basic physical needs (her husband has been gone four years, conscripted by the armed forces for a war she doesn't understand and she is hungry for the presence of a man in her bed!). The story explains the manner in which these three people intertwine their lives and beliefs and overcome the barriers of language to form a trio of true universal family. The war ends and the three 'bodies' separate, leaving behind indelible evidence of their transforming experiences. Writer/director Aleksandr Rogozhkin has created a masterpiece, a film brimming with beauty of visuals, of warmly humorous exchanges of dialog understood only by each speaker, of survival and of the mystery of life beyond. The acting is superb, the cinematography is breathtaking, and the message is deeply moving. In the field of strong anti-war statements, THE CUCKOO is the most sincere. A brilliant achievement! Grady Harp
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Posted October 1, 2010
The film is Russian.... The lady 'KYKYLLIKA'/'The Cuckoo' is a Laplander - she speaks SAMI dialect. The young man, Viekko, is Finnish and speaks the Finnish language we heard at home. The older man 'Gerlost', a name accidentally given to him because of misunderstood language, is Russian and speaks Russian. To hear these languages being spoken and reading the subtitles is such a treat. Another joy was to see the way life was lived in the early 20th Century in Lapland/Northern Finland. It was so believable because of stories I've heard from older relatives, long since deceased. The beauty of photography, the 'music' of the languages, and depiction of very believable events was great!
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