Originally Published: 2003-08-03

Charming, original and entertaining, The Cuckoo is a Russian gem that's both smart and funny.
It's the end of World War II somewhere in Finland, and Finnish sniper, Veiko (Willie Haapsalo) is chained to a rock by German soldiers in the wilderness. Through ingenuity he manages to free himself. Meanwhile, Russian soldier Sholti (Viktor Bychkov) is injured on the way to jail and brought to safety by a Lapp widow, Anny (Anni-Kristina Usso). Soon Sholti stumbles upon them, and Anny finds herself nursing both soldiers.
Problem is, they don't understand each other's languages, so their dialogue is hilarious: Sholti believes Veiko is a fascist (he's wearing an SS uniform the Germans gave him so he'd be killed by Russian snipers), Veiko tries to convince Sholti that he doesn't believe in the war, and Anny talks about how she wants to bed both of them.
Good-natured, terrifically performed and beautifully filmed, The Cuckoo is the standout art film of the season.

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