Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!

VividSimon Simply Perfect

Grimerlana Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

adamsfazzi-2 I like it. It is very well done. Just Image there is only 3 or maybe 4 of you, and you can not understand each other.....(The rest may have Spoilers)Close at the End of WW 2... Finland has made a truce with the USSR.... The two young men at opposite ends of the War...A Finn made to wear a German "SS" uniform and Chained to a rock by his comrades for losing his will to fight…. A Russian (Soviet) been taken away by Smersh (A counter-intelligence departments in the Soviet Army created in 1943) No, note the same as James Bond. As luck will have it, the two that where taking him away gets killed. A young Lap Woman, not knowing or caring where there are from...... She just wanted to help them both. Speaking in three languages, not understanding each other. Trying to keep each others company..You may have to watch two or three times, But it is a good film to watch. I have seen other films made by the same film company (Base in Saint Petersburg) One coming to mind "Voyna", also well made. But this one "The Cucktoo" is clean and little humorist. This film is worth watching. Helps if you know Russian, or Finnish. But the Subtitles do help.As it has been put before, it is remarkable what a woman with a good clean mind can do.

iam_usa2006 I bought this movie DVD from DVD store...I never know anything about this movie but I decided to purchase it for several reason> 1. It is hard to find any Eastern European movie 2. I was attracted by the awards won by this movie and it was clearly stated on the cover( indeed..I purchased many non-mainstream movie DVD based on the awards won..it usually quite representative of their quality!~ It works..almost never fail) 3. That woman look exotic and cute...I was in the movie right away...in the first few seconds...not a huge budget movie but one could see how superb the director and the photographer skill.. (they won several best directors/photos award!!!They deserved them!)Natural and direct and honest to the bone...about three..one Russian condemned to death(most likely...for a treason excuse that's ridiculous..a sniper Finnish that was left behind by the retreating army...and a very cute and adorable Lapps/Sami woman,,,)All speak in their own languages..little understanding about other but they tried to understand and interpret them intuitively and of course..based on their very personal perception and experience..Not to spoil you all...just a quick synopsis.. A Finnish sniper(ex-associate of German SS) was chained in forest to await his fate..he managed to free himself..and a Russian man...was condemned to court martial for treason(he wrote some poems about life and peace....)...both of them was sheltered by a Lapps/Sami woman,,,a widow whose hubby was snatched by Russian..(she is absolutely natural and adorable..the way she walks...look at ya...unpolished yet deep and very touching...there was many interesting and funny conversation as three of them speak in their own language...and both of the men had sexual relationship with the Lapp woman...eventually..when the war was over...both men decided to go back to "land where their mother were and gave birth of them.."They lived together in wild for sometimes.....the essence of this movie was the human natural instinct of love...care and respect of each,,,although each of them have very good reason to terminate each other..The Lapp woman...gave birth to a pair of twin boys.....in the last scene, and she narrated the whole event...Highly recommended,,,,,you will go to sleep with a smile....10/10ImUSA2006

gradyharp 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

Ivan Hoe If you get past the slow-paced first 15 minutes, a very funny movie awaits you. It is a very enjoyable watch, not too philosophical or ranting about how war is evil like other movies do. This is pure situation comedy, mistaken identity, hilarious scenes and situations, with only a small moral at the end which does not spoil your enjoyment.Also, at the beginning, Veikko tries to free himself very much like MacGyver, which I find both interesting and amusing. The Russian guy, Ivan, look a bit like Gary Oldman and the few visual effects with airplanes are really very good. 8/10