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11 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :- amazing film. an all-time favorite - looking for DVD, 10 August 2005 Author: rob-1129 from Australia
A wonderful film in the best Scandinavian eldritch magic tradition, with very far sighted analysis of much of the big issues we are just starting to face.Should be compulsory viewing for all politicians.Take your pick from privacy, nuclear sustainability, global climate change, quality of life.Reminiscent of Thoreaus' Walden, but with modern twist, and considerable humour. I'm not Finnish, although I've travelled there and have good Finnish friends, but I found it totally accessible, and also culturally informative.
8 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :- Accessible magic, 15 October 2004 Author: P.S. Paaskynen from Tornio, Finland
This film is more accessible to a foreign public than many other Finnish films, partly due to the limited dialogue. The point being that feelings often cannot be put aptly into words (at least not in Finland), but they can be communicated by visual impressions.The plot is like that of a road movie, except that the buddies here are a man and a hare (hence the limited dialogue). The background is mostly formed by the Finnish pine forests.Central to the film is the tension between the modern life style and the traditional Finnish closeness to nature and its magic. This magic and some twists of idiosyncratic, under cooled Finnish humour make the watching of this flick quite enjoyable.
3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :- All Jarva's films are worth of seeing., 11 February 2007 Author: TMokko from Finland
All Risto Jarva's films are worth of seeing. Some like "Jäniksen vuosi" and "Loma" are best films in their genre and have reached a status of a classics in Finnish cinema-history.Most people have formed a impression of actor Antti Litja through Jarva's films. Litja acted leading role in three of Jarva's films which all became successes at box office and movie reviews.It's nice to see that idea of "Jäniksen Vuosi" still lives in commercials (I think it was tele-operator Sonera's TV add where Litja was walking in mountain fell at Lapland with hare in his arms. Everibody who has seen the film knows what I am talking about..) "Jäniksen Vuosi" Is a beautiful film with great actors and good filming locations - like famous small town in Lappland, Sodankylä, where the best Film festival in the world is held - The Midnight Sun Film Festival. I recommend it for all to go there on June - but remember warm clothes and raincoat :)
4 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :- Vatanen has had enough of his city life and starts a big adventure with a hare, 13 January 2001 Author: Yrjö Kari-Koskinen from Espoo, Finland
*** This comment may contain spoilers ***
This enchanting movie is based on a novel by Arto Paasilinna. The bestseller is one of the best books I've read. Here's the story:One day journalist and photographer Kaarlo Vatanen decides to leave his past behind, and starts a new life wandering across the Finnish forests and countryside. With him he has a companion, a young hare hit by a car. Vatanen has to take care of the hare, because it's leg is wounded, so they start a journey together taking care of each other.In the course of their adventures they get almost shot by hunters, get caught by the police, meet many people and finally get to lapland, where they live peacefully, until a group of foreign tourist disturbs their privacy. The hare falls ill and they must return to Helsinki to see the vet.Vatanen has found an ideal way of living, but the modern society tries to tie him back to his duties and taxes. In Helsinki Vatanen took to drink, gets even engaged and imprisoned, but finally he and the hare flee.
One mans escape from society, 29 January 2009 Author: lefaikone from Finland
Jarva's Jäniksen vuosi is one of my favourite Finnish films all time. It is funny and touching at the same time, and the nature cinematography is so beautiful, that it just makes you feel humble.The story is about how men have become estranged from nature, and how society has chained people inside this concrete hell with rules and regulations. Vatanen (Antti Litja) is a man who has never been too socially active or good with people. He escapes his life in to the forests of Finland with a hare as his partner. Soon he will discover that one can not leave society without society fighting back.The movie is a beautiful description of the relation between men and nature, and it really gives a good image of Finland in the 70's in a very humorous way. The human/animal relation drama between Vatanen and the hare is done more credibly and pertinently than most of other human relation dramas put together. The only reason I won't give it a 10, is that it's done in a bit overly nature- romanticized way. (The way he survives the harsh winter of Finland outside in a forest without any problems.) It's not very realistic in that way, but in a way, it's questionable if that's relevant or not.
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