Jäniksen vuosi

If you're interested about the Finnish mentality, The Year of the Hare is probably one of the best films you can watch. It's based on the novel written by Arto Paasilinna, the best known Finnish humorist and writer of Magical Realism genre. The movie premiered back in 1977, in time before no one had ever heard of Nokia phones, and Finland was still modernizing from a very agricultural country to a country of high infrastructure and high technology. So many people at the time, like my parents who were about 40 years old, were born in countryside or rural areas of Finland, but had moved to cities after work. Even though we lived in an urban area, we spent a big part of our free time foraging in the nearby forests. So there was (maybe still is) this conflict in Finnish collective mentality, how peaceful, natural and healthy the life in the wilds feels in comparison of living in tight apartment blocks and noisy streets, while enjoying closeness of schools, health care and supermarkets.

In the movie, the main character Kaarlo Vatanen burns out, and decides to go off the grid. Some hilarity and some tragedy ensues.

The director Risto Jarva was a rare diamond in Finnish film industry, but sadly The Year of the Hare is his last work. I've enjoyed everything I've seen from him, and I always think perhaps he had even more in him, but as it is The Year of the Hare remains his magnum opus.

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.

Jäniksen vuosi is one of Jarva's most political movies. It takes stance strongly against modern day society's authority status in the life of the common man, and how it has estranged men from the nature completely. It challenges the whole concept of freedom and wealth in our welfare society.

Vatanen (Antti Litja) - smothered buy the concrete jungle with all its rules and regulations - tries to rattle the chains of the society by escaping it all in to the wilderness of northern Finland - only to realize that the concept of a 'free country' isn't all that unambiguous, in other words, the society has the common man by the balls.

Still the thing that makes Jäniksen vuosi so exceptional - besides the visual and humouristic brilliance - is how it seems to illustrate the whole political atmosphere in Finland in the 70's, as well as the whole identity of Finland as a nation. Vatanen is like an archetype of a classical finn in his solitudeness and social distantness. Since nature has always played such an important role in the national identity of us Finns, the whole idea of that being slowly taken away by the modern society makes Jäniksen vuosi emotionally exceptionally moving.

Finnish film 'Jäniksen Vuosi' is based on a critically acclaimed book 'The year of the hare' written by famous journalist Arto Paasilinna. It has already achieved the status of a 'cult film' in Finland. However, it has a lot to offer to foreign viewers as its theme of man's closeness to nature as well as animals is dear to many people in the world. The notion of human freedom is very much evident throughout all scenes helmed by Finnish director Risto Jarva in 'The year of the hare'. While watching this film, a viewer is compelled to ask whether we are really free ? How and to what extent are we free ? What kind of freedom has been bestowed to us ? According to 'The year of the rabbit', a rabbit as a man's companion is an innocent idea which must not be confused with an American magazine for men ! It is not easy for anybody to simply leave the job to spend time with an animal. For this reason, director Risto Jarva has given a logical conclusion to an advertising executive's frustrations which compel him to leave his job and a nagging wife. As a family film which can be enjoyed by everybody, 'The year of the hare' informs everybody about the importance of wilderness as it is the only place where human beings can free themselves from the harmful influences of modern civilization.

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.