Jukka-Pekka Palo Movies

Human nature and the inhuman cruelties that come with war are the focus of this challenging, pensive, well-photographed drama. Lt. Leimu (Jukka Puotila) is in charge of a prison camp in an unnamed country. A civil war is drawing to a close; in fact, there are only two days left in the fighting. Each day, the lieutenant is forced to interrogate prisoners and then send those who belong to the "enemy" to the execution block. He cannot help but get personally involved with some of the prisoners in the camp, which makes his job of judge, jury, and hangman all the worse. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Sex and politics are meant to coincide with each other in this over-extended, dull drama set in 1934 in Finland, yet they seem to cancel each other out. Johanna (Katharina Thalbach) has fled Nazi Germany to visit a friend in Finland, and from there she continues on to her friend's family's estate. Once at the estate, Johanna passionately argues with her friend's pro-Nazi brother and at the same time, falls for the second, good-looking brother who shares her own anti-fascist feelings. The two are soon engaged in an active sexual relationship that continues as they travel north to an Arctic port. Once there, they suddenly revert to their political personas as they begin to debate whether Johanna should stay with him in relative safety or go to Paris where she can join others in the resistance movement. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi