Original title: Käsky
Year: 2008
Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins.
Country: Finland | Germany | Greece
Language: Finnish | German | Russian
Subtitles: English | Romanian (.srt)
Genre: Drama
Director: Aku Louhimies
Cast:
Samuli Vauramo … Aaro Harjula
Pihla Viitala … Miina Malin
Eero Aho … Emil Hallenberg
Eemeli Louhimies … Eino
Miina Maasola … Martta
Riina Maidre … Beata Hallenberg
Sulevi Peltola … Konsta
Oskar Pöysti … Paasonen
Mikko Kouki … Vääpeli
Janne Virtanen … Jääkäriluutnantti
Robert Hedengren … Valkokaartilainen
Viktor Idman … Valkokaartilainen
Miska Kaukonen … Valkokaartilainen
Ilkka Heiskanen … Frans Rapola
Riitta Salminen … Saara Rapola
Plot/Synopsis:
The film, based on a popular novel by Leena Lander, is set in April 1918, at the end of the Finnish Civil War, when Red and White soldiers were fighting each other, much like their neighbors to the east in Russia. There were many female soldiers fighting for the Red army, and the film begins with a platoon of women being captured by the savage White army. The women are raped and executed, but one of them, the strong-willed Miina (Pihla Viitala), survives thanks to the intercession of one of the few soldiers with a conscience, the handsome Aaro (Samuli Vauramo). As he escorts her to the closest garrison for trial, Aaro falls in love with her; Miina encourages his ardor, though she has been so brutalized by her wartime experience that it’s hard to know if she’s capable of any real feeling.
At the garrison, they both come under the scrutiny of the judge (Eero Aho) in charge of the fort, a decadent dandy who still dresses formally in the stark wartime setting and turns out to be a voyeur who loves playing games with his captives. These characters exhibit the complexities found in a richly imagined novel. In addition, the film has been given an epic visual sweep by director Aku Louhimies. The desolate settings are beautifully caught, and scenes portraying the horrors of war are powerfully graphic without being exploitative. Louhimies also builds considerable erotic tension in more intimate scenes.
Given the cruelty of the times, a happy ending is unlikely, yet the conclusion is somehow satisfying, holding out a glimmer of hope for at least a couple of the characters. Fine performances all around help to intensify our involvement. This is a rare historical drama that lingers in the memory as it eloquently underscores the devastating human costs of every war.
Torrent Download
Tears of April (2008)
Uploaded By : cosmin742000
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