The Cuckoo is a 2002 Russian war drama film directed by Aleksandr Rogozhkin, who died autumn of 2021. The Cuckoo takes place during World War II and the action is seen from the opposing perspectives of a Soviet soldier and a Finnish soldier stranded together at a Sami woman's farmhouse. It received generally positive reviews from critics. Some say the film is simplistic and predictable, but others enjoy it for its scenery and acting. Some say the ending is very predictable. The Cuckoo tells the story of three people in a contested war zone, two of whom are enemies but nothing ever happens. Vision said if he were to summarize the film, he would end up with a sentence. The Soviet soldier managed to free himself from his shackles. The end. And he has sex.

It is a feeling and a wisdom. There are no words to describe it.

The film "Coco" from the Russian cinema, made in 2002, is a charming anti-war comedy. The film, with all its ups and downs, takes the audience with it until the end. It is a film with few dialogues and few actors. A different love triangle is formed in the film where both men leave this female triangle alone. The film has three main characters, a Sami woman, a Finnish soldier, and a Russian commander, whose story is related to the end of World War II. All three characters do not understand each other's language, and their communication forms the essence of the film, and the film evokes this poem that empathy is better than speaking the same language.

Somewhere in the wilds of Finland, a Russian soldier named Ivan is being transported to his trial for treason when his escorts are killed. Meanwhile, nearby, Finnish soldier Viekko is secured to a rock as punishment for desertion and left to die. Both are ultimately saved by Anni, a Sami woman who lives alone in the desolate wilderness. The Cuckoo is an odd film, to say the least, but strangely appealing and charming. Due to the language barrier, none of the three are able to communicate with each other, but learn about their humanity through shared experiences. The characters are all well-rounded, the locale is beautiful, and the film leaves the viewer with something to think about.

A small masterpiece of humanity beyond language--A film of transcendent beauty!!

Lost in translation European-style

It's decidedly minor, but it's extremely enjoyable throughout, especially in its small diversion into the mythical toward the end.

I did not watch this long enough to get into. Sorry to say. Good reviews but too slow in the beginning.....

Easily the best film I've ever seen in Saami, Finnish and Russian. This is a peculiar tale, set in the WW2 war between Russia & Finland - not really a chapter I'm overly familiar with - and among other things, goes to show how important it is to be able to speak other languages. Unusual, interesting and quite thought-provoking, if not exactly a barrel of laughs.

A different approach to a war between Finland and Russia. Quite funny indeed.

I just love this movie... The Cuckoo (Russian: Кукушка, Kukushka)is one of the funniest and best anti-war movies I've seen! Perfect for the film students to learn how to do perfect photography, screenplay and directing! Russian Federation National Award in the Art and Literature Area was awarded to the crew of the film; to the director and the author of the screenplay Aleksandr Rogozhkin, producer Segei Selianov, main cast Anni-Kristiina Juuso, Ville Haapasalo, Viktor Bychkov, director of photography Andrey Zhegalov, director of the film art Vladimir I. Svetozarov, composer Dmitriy Pavlov, sound engineers Anatoliy Gudkov and Sergei Sokolov... they all deserved it! Aleksandr Rogozhkin did amazingly smooth work of art which takes place during World War II from the perspective of opposing Soviet and Finnish soldiers stranded at a Sami woman's farmhouse. "Kukushka" was the nickname given by Soviet soldiers exclusively to lone Finnish snipers, who ambushed their targets from a purpose-built tree-branch-nest. Thus the title refers to both Veikko (the sniper) and Anni (a lone woman living in the forest, much like a cuckoo). If you have a chance to see it - do it now!

In places funny, in places profound, in places a bit drawn out for my taste, but still a film to remember

The 2002 Russian production KUKUSHKA ("The Cuckoo") is an entertaining tale of mutual understanding across language barriers on the Finland-Russian front in World War II. As the film begins Veikko (Ville Haapasalo), a recently drafted Finnish student who doesn't seen the point of fighting, is being chained to a rock. Punished for insubordination, he is forced to wear an SS uniform so he won't surrender, and given a gun to shot passing Russian troops. Only a couple of kilometers away Ivan (Viktor Bychkov), a Russian soldier who has just been arrested for the counter-revolutionary activity of writing poetry, is set free when his jailers perish in a bombing. Both of these condemned men are taken in by Anni (Anni-Kristiina Juuso), a Sami woman resident in the area, who holds on to her small farm four years after her husband disappeared. Each of these three characters cannot speak the language of the others, and Ivan initially hopes to kill Veikko, whom he believes to be a Nazi soldier. The misunderstandings that arise make for fine comedy, but the final reconciliation amongst the three characters is heartwarming. The cinematography really brings out the beauty of the land above the Arctic Circle, and the writers have represented the traditions of the Sami with care. Director Aleksandr Rogozhkin has expertly handled the actors and the action. The DVD extras are quite entertaining, especially Juuso's bafflement at the suggestion that the Sami people are sex-obsessed. I watched this film as a student of Finno-Ugrian linguistics resident in Finland, passionate about the Finnish and Sami languages and with training in Russian as well. Audiences with different backgrounds might not care as much for the film, and you might find it a three-star effort instead of four. Nonetheless, I am sure you'll find KUKUSHKA an entertaining film.

Quite the weird film, the first half was very awesome. Nonetheless it's interesting.

Stunningly photographed above the Arctic Circle, with dialog in German, Russian, Finnish and Lapp - a war-love-tragicomedy drawing on Shakespeareâ(TM)s own Comedy of Errors for plot devices - and charming and searing by turns. Plus youâ(TM)ll learn a lot about the traditional Lapp lifestyle. One of my favorite films.

gayet yalin bir anlatimla cok guzel bir hikaye cekmisler...anlamadan anlasabilmek ilginc... kadinin motivasyonu komikti... eveleyip gevelemeden yasadi...

Loved it, had my very own theory on this one here Well first of all i truly admired this film , it delivered a wonderful taste of Russian masterpieces .. like 'Zerkalo' and 'Vozvrashcheniye' . the story is great , but i felt that the film is not just about a woman helping two soldiers and the three of them are talking in 3 different languages . maybe the film went far behind that , as Veikko represents Finland and Ivan (gerlost) = Russia and Anni represents The History as she acted like a judge between them . a cuckoo is a bird that repeats words , and also she had many names like history has many versions , and at the end she tells their history to their next generations . The Soviets attacked Finland claiming that they want to protect their borders , But history Sympathized with Finland more (when Anni preferred to have sex with Veikko ) and Russia is always with a bad luck with history ( Ivan :- I haven't been lucky with women ). and finally the scene in which Anni tries to get back soul to Veikko .. maybe this refers to that History can rise a country and kills another

(Russia) A very powerful story that is very touching.

A tale about miscommunication, this war drama finds humour in unexpected places - a German and a Finnish soldier meet a woman in a Russian landscape.

I watch that film late at night on SBS channel... they always have international great flicks. This one is pretty cool and i got really into it. Really far from the Hollywood type but fascinating. Give it a shot!