Raja 1918 (2007)

	Also Known As: The border, Die Grenze
	Year of first release: 2007
	Director: Lauri Törhönen
	Actors: Martin Bahne, Leonid Mozgovoy, Minna Haapkylä
	Country: FIN, RUS
	Genre: Drama, Romance
	Conditions of visioning: 02.11.2017, CineStar4, NFDL2017, Finnish with English subtitle
Synopsis: In spring 1918 a young scientist and officer, captain Carl von Munck (Bahne), is sent to the village of Rajajoki to close the border between the newly independent Finland and Russia under Bolshevik revolution. He meets the soldiers and the teacher Maaria Lintu (Haapkylä). The flow of refugees in both directions (Finns, Swedes, Jews, and Russians) is so large that he must work closely with the Soviet border commander, major Gentsch (Mozgovoy), a former landowner whose estate has been expropriated. The latter, however, ruthlessly exploits the desperate situation of the refugees, enriching himself shamelessly. When Finnish nationalists demand that von Munck liquidate members of foreign ethnic groups, the border situations spins completely out of control.
Review: For the 100 years of Finland's independance, this movie shows this turn in History when the border has been declared and previous neighbours of the same village had to be separated into to two villages and two countries. The main story that looks sometimes like a romance sometimes not is not as interesting as the environment, the villagers going from one side of the bridge to the other without asking permission, the families that are split by the new border, the way the soldiers treat the refugees, the constructed hate between whites and reds in Finland and within the Russian refugees, the constant issue of classes, on both sides, the smuggler of wares. This was great to see it, that all the sides (whites and reds, Russians and Finns) have good people and awful people.  The acting of the mean Finn soldier was good because he becomes means slowly and transfers his emotions during this evolution. Maaria acts quite well also. The image looks much older than 2007, the lights are handled with some amateurism, and all this suggests that the story is old, but not as old as 1918. The movie has something fascinating even if many things are not done very well. This shows that with a good story and good secondary roles and stories, the weaknesses are not much visible.
Rating: 5 /10