A Finnish student and a sullen, vodka-swilling Russian miner share a compartment on a train journey to Murmansk. In his highly unusual romantic comedy, Juho Kuosmanen shows profound understanding as he tells of our inherent need for closeness. The film enjoyed an enthusiastic reception at this year’s festival in Cannes, where it won the Grand Prix (ex aequo).
François Truffaut once stated that, “when the same things are funny and melancholic at the same time, it’s just wonderful”. Juho Kuosmanen has undeniably succeeded in this respect, offering Cannes audiences a highly unusual romantic comedy. His story of a Finnish student and a sullen, vodka-swilling Russian miner who share a compartment on a train journey to Murmansk conveys a profound understanding of our inherent need for closeness. The focused direction, in flawless symbiosis with the masterful camerawork and deftly nuanced performances, unerringly leads to the depiction of a rare moment of affinity, a moment when we glimpse our own image in another human being. Grand Prix (ex aequo) in Cannes.
Lenka Tyrpáková
107 min / Color, DCP
Director Juho Kuosmanen
/ Screenplay Andris Feldmanis, Livia Ulman, Juho Kuosmanen na motivy stejnojmenné knihy / inspired by the eponymous novel by Rosa Liksom
/ Dir. of Photography J-P Passi
/ Editor Jussi Rautaniemi
/ Art Director Kari Kankaanpää
/ Producer Jussi Rantamäki, Emilia Haukka
/ Production Aamu Film Company
/ Coproduction Achtung Panda!, Amrion Productions, CTB Film Company
/ Cast Seidi Haarla, Yuriy Borisov
/ Sales Totem Films
/ Contact Sony Pictures Classics
Juho Kuosmanen (1979, Kokkola, Finland). Selected filmography: The Painting Sellers (Taulukauppiaat, 2010, medium-length), The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki (Hymyilevä mies, 2016), Compartment No. 6 (Hytti nro 6, 2021).
Totem Films
5 rue de Charonne, 750 11, Paris
France
Phone: +33 630 847 575
E-mail: [email protected]
Sony Pictures Classics
25 Madison Ave FL 19, 10010-8601, New York
United States of America
E-mail: [email protected]
Juho Kuosmanen
Film Director
Seidi Haarla
Actress
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