Unknown Soldier

In 1941 Finland goes to war against the Soviet Union again. The film follows a single machine gun company from the beginning of the war to the end: the advance, the waiting in position, the retreat and the dissolution. Aku Louhimies directed, from Vaino Linna's 1954 novel, one of the most widely read books in Finnish literature and already filmed twice. This third adaptation became the most expensive Finnish production ever and was timed to the centenary of the country's independence. It performed extraordinarily at the box office, setting an admissions record relative to population. Its stance is anti-heroic. The soldiers do not accept the state's language, mock their officers and disobey. That tone was exactly what caused argument when the novel was published. The battle scenes are realistic and long; the sound design and camera stay at the soldier's level throughout. There is a cinema version close to three hours and a longer television version. Who it is for: viewers who like war films and literary adaptations. Who it is not for: anyone after something short; the production is long and exhausting.