The Cuckoo November 8, 2010

Kukushka / Cuckoo
2002; directed by Aleksandr Rogozhkin; 104 minutes

Aleksandr Rogozhkin's Cuckoo (Kukushka) traces the unlikely intersection of three vastly different characters against the backdrop of World War II. The first, a Finnish soldier turned imprisoned sniper, must initially bear out his fate chained to a rock. When a Russian captain under arrest, the second addition, is wounded in a nearby car accident, a local peasant woman takes it upon herself to care for the man—-and soon finds herself with two wards. The collision of three different cultures provides a profound, meaning-laden backdrop for the existential questions of war and human relationships. Rogozhkin's film won several international awards and is lauded for its elegant mise-en-scene, stark visual colors, and sophisticated treatment of cross-cultural interaction.

Official Website: http://creees.stanford.edu/events/Russian-film.html