Synopsis

In September 1944, a Finnish sniper abandoned in the Lapland wilderness and a Soviet captain escaping court-martial are taken in by Anni, a Sami widow. None of the three speaks the others' language, turning daily survival into a series of comic and sometimes painful misunderstandings. As war gives way to an uneasy domestic routine, hostility gradually yields to companionship, affection, and an unexpected understanding.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film's original Russian title is "Kukushka," meaning "cuckoo."
• "Cuckoo" was military slang for a Finnish sniper hidden in the forest.
• The three central characters speak Finnish, Russian, and Sami. Their conversations are subtitled for the audience, creating dramatic irony because viewers understand more than the characters do.
• Filming took place around the Kandalaksha Gulf in Russia's Murmansk region.
• Anni-Kristiina Juuso made her film debut in the role of Anni. She was selected partly because the production wanted a Sami actress for the character.
• Juuso said she received her dialogue in Finnish and translated it into Sami rather than working from a complete version of the screenplay.
• The Cuckoo premiered at the 2002 Moscow International Film Festival, where it won Silver St. George awards for director and actor, as well as the FIPRESCI Prize.
• The film later received Russia's State Prize in the field of literature and art in 2004.