It is the summer of 1941 and the Finnish army has been mobilized along the border with Russia. A platoon led by Lt. Eero Perkola is waiting for orders to go on the offensive. The platoon receives orders for a recon mission through the wilderness around the Lieksa lake to search for possible Russian defensive positions.
Cinematography
Endless birch forests that breathe and suffocate simultaneously.
Acting
Peter Franzén's thousand-yard stare before it was his trademark.
Score
Sparse, haunting — silence itself becomes instrumentation.
Director
Olli Saarela
Peter Franzén
Eero Perkola
Irina Björklund
Kaarina Vainikainen
Kari Heiskanen
Lance Corporal Jussi Lukkari
Kari Väänänen
Corporal Tauno Snicker
Tommi Eronen
Private Simo Karppinen
Taisto Reimaluoto
Corporal Unto Saarinen
Pekka Huotari
Private Martti Raassina
Rauno Juvonen
Private Hämäläinen
Arttu Kapulainen
Private Ville Snicker
Aku Laitinen
Private Knihti
Kristo Salminen
Private Kukkonen
Kari-Pekka Toivonen
Private Leinonen
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The Continuation War remains politically sensitive in Finland; this was among the first major films to humanize Finnish soldiers without glorifying the alliance-adjacent cause.
FI
