'Make it just how it must have been' -- no doubt this idea was most prominent in director Pekka Parikka's mind when he produced 'Talvisota'.
The result is an impressive tale about the Finn's unfortunate war against Stalin's Soviet Union in 1939-'40. Supported by authentic military gadgets, we see the men of the Finnish army leaving home, joining their army unit between hope and fear, and doing their duty when war did arrive.
That's all this film has to offer. But it surely is enough. Everybody with military experience of his/her own will warm up to Talvisota's chosen human angle.
However, there can be some criticism about this film's chosen narrow point of view. Just focusing on the Finns themselves, it leaves out any wider scope. History makes clear, though, that the Soviet's poor military performance against their tiny Finnish opponent did much to persuade Adolf Hitler to attack the Soviet Union himself. That happened one and a half year later, with disastrous results.
The result is an impressive tale about the Finn's unfortunate war against Stalin's Soviet Union in 1939-'40. Supported by authentic military gadgets, we see the men of the Finnish army leaving home, joining their army unit between hope and fear, and doing their duty when war did arrive.
That's all this film has to offer. But it surely is enough. Everybody with military experience of his/her own will warm up to Talvisota's chosen human angle.
However, there can be some criticism about this film's chosen narrow point of view. Just focusing on the Finns themselves, it leaves out any wider scope. History makes clear, though, that the Soviet's poor military performance against their tiny Finnish opponent did much to persuade Adolf Hitler to attack the Soviet Union himself. That happened one and a half year later, with disastrous results.