Kukushka - Der Kuckuck

The Cuckoo has an absolutely incredible story. It throws a Lapp woman, a Russian soldier and aFinnish soldier together. They all have to come to an agreement during the WWII and since the Lapp woman’s been living there alone for a couple of years now, she’s going to get something out of the two guys; especially sex. The whole movie is told in a beautiful and sincere way and makes you smile from the beginning till the very end. The ending then confirms the age-old phrase “nothing lasts forever” and so even a The Cuckoo’s chapter has to come to an end. I watched this for the Challenge Tour 2015. (17.04.2015)

Inhaltlich wunderschön lyrisch, poetisch, voll subtilen und intelligenten Humors sowie wirtschaftlich skizzierter Charaktere. Das zentrale Dreieck wird sehr glaubwürdig dargeboten und die Chemie zwischen einem Russen, einem Finnen und einer Lappländerin funktioniert fabelhaft. Nicht wegzudenkende lyrische Einheiten sowie die Betonung der Natur gehören ja bereits zum russischen Konzept, bzw. zu Rogozkin, ähnlich wie die obligatorische Sauna sowie der naive Ville Haapasalo. Der winzige Haken am Film Kukushka – Der Kuckuck, ist dessen formaler Aspekt, der insbesondere am Ende ziemlich unsortiert ist und dank der metaphysischen Szene sowie dem Anlocken der Seele, in den Körper zurückzukehren, erweckt hier einen leicht krampfhaften Eindruck. Ebenso passte es mir das Platzieren der abschließenden Pointe in die ansonsten sehr authentische Geschichte überhaupt nicht. Sofern denn Kukuschka – Der Kuckuck wie ein ungeschliffener Diamant anmutet, voller Rohheit und unzusammenhängender Dialoge, bringt der Höhepunkt vielleicht ein etwas zu schematisches Element ins Spiel. Dennoch habe ich mich hervorragend amüsiert, denn diese skurrile Geschichte über Menschen, Krieg und Natur sprüht einfach voller subtiler Poetik, die für mich ansprechend ist. (29.01.2007)

Movies where the characters stop speaking properly right at the beginning always have a hard time. However, the creators managed to skate around it surprisingly skillfully, and the three characters who keep talking without understanding each other at all can create a very pleasant, albeit tragicomic mood. It's a shame that the story changes its storytelling tone at the least appropriate moment and within a minute, we find ourselves in a hypnotic scene reminiscent of The Seventh Seal, which would suit most war-themed dramas, but in the case of Kukuška, it's unbearably disruptive. (30.01.2007)

Black grotesque on the absurdities of World War II. A Finnish defector - a highly educated intellectual - and an uneducated Soviet soldier, who faces a military tribunal with all its consequences as part of Stalin's purges, manage to escape certain death thanks to their own tenacity and a series of fortunate coincidences, and meet in the hut of a young Lapp woman whose husband has disappeared in the turmoil of war. They don't understand a word of each other, the only thing that connects them is the desire for life. High-quality performances, especially by Ville Haapasala, who already belongs to Rogozhkin in an organic way. An interesting and intelligent script about events and places that have so far been outside the attention of filmmakers. High-quality direction, only the overly idyllic ending spoiled the overall impression. Overall, it's a 90% rating. (13.01.2007)

This Russian film with two collaborating Finnish actors (the Russians have probably adopted Ville Haapasalo by now :-)) was excellent. A conversational comedy drama about three characters, each speaking their own language. It's such an absurd idea that I still can't figure out how it could have worked out so well. Again, I was greatly amused by how the sexually frustrated Sami managed to calm things down between the Finn and the Soviet. (23.10.2020)