"Little Sister"
Pikkusisar

Available on DVD or VHS

Finland 1999 colour 107 min Kinotar Oy

***

Drama, war

cast: Vera Kiiskinen (Katri Ruuska), Kai Lehtinen (Arvo), Tarmo Ruubel (Eero), Minna Koskela (Liisa), Seela Sella (mother), Pirkko Hämäläinen (Annikki Elomaa), Jukka-Pekka Palo (Juhani Elomaa), Eero Saarinen, Pentti Siimes, Lilga Kovanko (head nurse), Ulla Tapaninen (Sylvi), Matti Oravisto (Söderqvist), Sinikka Sokka, Ari-Kyösti Seppo (Nieminen), Sanna-Kaisa Palo, Tuula Nyman, Meri Nenonen, Pekka Pesonen, Mikko Kivekäs, Ismo Apell, Markku Toikka, Oiva Lohtander, Jukka Sipilä, Arttu Kapulainen, Anja Pohjola, Joonas Bragge (Mikki Hiiri), Virve Rosti (singer), Eija Nousiainen, Svante Martin, Marja-Leena Kouki
credits: dir. Taru Mäkelä, script Raija Talvio, DOP Jouko Seppälä, lights Harri Sipilä, assistant (lights) Arttu Kapulainen, music Jukka Siikavire

It's 1941, the war between Finland and Russia is going on. Katri has lost her husband in the war. She tries to start a new life giving her best as nurse in a hospital. There she meets a charming poet Arvo, who may have lost his eyes forever. But there's also another guy, Eero, Katri's old friend from her childhood, who fancies her.

A slightly melodramatic war movie. There's nothing bad in the actors. Both Mr. Ruubel and Lehtinen are ok in their roles. Vera Kiiskinen is perfectly calm and still sensitive as Katri. The movie looks and sounds fine, like it all would really happen in 1940's. The major problem in the movie is its script. There's no real surprises and the characters never grow interesting enough. That's pretty sad, since this flick has everything else just as it should be.

TRIVIA: The singer in the hospital is Virve "Vicky" Rosti, who can be rememberd also from song Sata salamaa which she sang in the Eurovision song contest (1980's).

---