The Unknown Soldier (2017 film)

For other uses, see Unknown Soldier (disambiguation).

Unknown Soldier
A theatrical release poster of the film featuring a Finnish soldier carrying a machine gun tripod through a foggy forest.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAku Louhimies
Screenplay by
  • Aku Louhimies
  • Jari Olavi Rantala
Based onThe Unknown Soldier
by Väinö Linna
Produced by
  • Aku Louhimies
  • Mikko Tenhunen
  • Kimmo Nieminen
  • Miia Haavisto
Starring
Edited byBenjamin Mercer
Music byLasse Enersen
Production
companies
  • Elokuvaosakeyhtiö Suomi 2017
  • Kvikmyndafélag Íslands
  • Scope Pictures[1]
Distributed by
Release date
  • 27 October 2017 (2017-10-27)
Running time
179 minutes
CountryFinland
LanguageFinnish
Budget€7 million
Box office€13.5 million[4]

The Unknown Soldier (Finnish: Tuntematon sotilas, Swedish: Okänd soldat) is a 2017 Finnish independent war drama film, an adaptation of the bestselling 1954 Finnish classic novel of the same name by Väinö Linna, literature considered part of the national legacy.[5][6] Directed by Aku Louhimies, it is the first one based on the novel's manuscript version, Sotaromaani ("the war novel"). Previously adapted in 1955 and 1985, the World War II film is presented from the point of view of a machine gun company (Finnish: konekiväärikomppania) of the Finnish Army during the Continuation War between Finland and the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1944. It was the most expensive Finnish motion picture at its release with a budget of €7 million.

The film opened to mixed reviews domestically on 27 October 2017, part of the official 100th anniversary of Finnish independence program, breaking the opening weekend record for a local-language film. The international premier was on 23 November 2017 at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, followed by Ireland, Sweden, Iceland and Norway. The film was described by critics as gritty, forlorn, honest and realistic as well as a pacifist piece confronting less pleasant sides of Finnish history. The film won four Jussi Awards for Best Actor (Aho), along with Best Editing, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and Best Sound Editing from a total of eleven nominations. With a €13.5 million domestic gross at the 2017 box office, it was the most successful film of the year in Finnish cinema.

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  6. ^ Pajunen, Julia; Korsberg, Hanna (16 November 2017). "Performing Memory, Challenging History: Two Adaptations of The Unknown Soldier". Contemporary Theatre Review. 28 (2): 224–234. doi:10.1080/10486801.2017.1365715. ISSN 1048-6801.