1944. In the midst of World War II, a Finnish sniper is punished by being chained to a rock and left to die... but he's too resourceful to just give up. Nearby, a Russian soldier on his way to a court-martial is given an unexpected reprieve when his captors are killed and he's injured in an attack. And Anni, a Lapp woman just going about her everyday chores as best she can, will be the one who gives them shelter and draws them into her life, even though none of them can communicate with the others at all.

A plot summary of The Cuckoo is deceptively simple: it's true that the story is straightforward in terms of plot, but the way the story unfolds over the course of the film is extremely engrossing and very well paced. With the exception of one section late in the film that's drawn out a bit too long, there is always some interesting development in the story, and we are completely drawn into the world of the film, eager to see what becomes of its characters.

The Cuckoo is a film that would seem, on the surface, to be very difficult to translate. The film doesn't provide any captions to indicate the place and time of the setting (or if it does, they're not translated), so it takes a bit of time to work out that this is World War II, that it takes place in or near Finland, and what the nationalities of the different characters are. Amazingly, though, these are just elements of the story to puzzle out, not roadblocks at all: perhaps because the central theme of the story is about characters who don't understand each other coming together, it all works out in the end.

In the end, The Cuckoo is about its characters, and all three of them are beautifully realized: the intellectual Finn, who wants nothing more than to get out of the war and go back to his studies; the war-weary Russian, who is frustrated with his life in general; and the hardworking and superstitious Lapp, who is the only one who is sure of herself and what she needs to do. From the beginning, these are realistic, believable people, and as the film progresses and we learn more about them, we are truly interested in what becomes of them. The Cuckoo is a very personal story; the larger context of the war doesn't really matter at all, only the fact that the characters are caught up in something beyond their control, and that more than anything else they want to be free of it. That's most likely part of the message: what is the point of war, that sets two men against each other when they don't have any reason, other than far-away political agendas and ideologies, to be anything but friends? Anni doesn't know which side either of them is on, and she doesn't care: her relentless focus on the personal, the individual, and the practical aspects of life is a reminder of what life is supposed to be about, when it's not being interrupted by strange men killing each other in her backyard.

This is a film that resists easy categorization into a genre. Is it a drama or a comedy? Given its overall serious tone, it doesn't feel right to call it a comedy, but given that a lighter element is gently woven into the story, it's not quite a "serious drama" either. The Cuckoo is at times playful, especially when it's focusing on the mis-communications between the three characters; at times it touches on tragedy and pain; and at times it is a plain depiction of getting on with life. Well, who needs to put a label on it? It works, and it works beautifully, and that's what counts.

The DVD

Video

The Cuckoo is presented in a very attractive widescreen anamorphic transfer, at the film's original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The color palette for most of the film is slightly muted, but this is clearly an artistic choice on the filmmakers' part, and it does complement the film's tone quite well. The image is clear and detailed, with a nice depth to the image; some edge enhancement is visible at times, but it's not obtrusive. A few print flaws also appear, but on the whole the transfer is quite clean and attractive. The English subtitles, which are optional, are easily readable.

Audio

The Dolby 5.1 soundtrack (which is a mix of Russian, Finnish, and Lapp) is very solid. The overall sound is clean and natural, with dialogue and music well balanced. The surround channels are used very effectively as well, creating a true sense of immersion in the film, and making excellent use of directional effects when appropriate.

Extras

Although no special features are listed on the DVD case, viewers will be pleasantly surprised to find a "making of" featurette included. The 24-minute featurette is a bit top-heavy with clips from the film, but it also has some interesting insights into the making of the film from the writer/director and from the producer of the film. Trailers for The Cuckoo, Man Without a Past, Masked and Anonymous, and Respiro are also included.

Final thoughts

An unexpected gem, The Cuckoo is a thoroughly engaging, thoughtful film that well deserved the generous handful of prizes that it earned from a variety of international film festivals. With its excellent audio and video transfer to its credit as well, it's easy to give The Cuckoo a "highly recommended" rating.