Jäniksen vuosi

Plot synopsis:
For years now an advertising executive called Vatanen has lost his taste of life. The expectations of his younger days are far from coming true. He is tired of his wife, his job and the place where he lives. There is an ulcer on the way.An average day in early spring brings a great change to Vatanen's life. He is out of town on a business trip with a colleague when their car strikes a a hare that has jumped onto the road ahead of them. The animal scrambles into the forest. Vatanen goes after the hare and finds it with a damaged leg. Vatanen stays behind to patch up the hare and admires the countryside stretching before him. He refuses to rejoin his friend who drives away in a huff. Vatanen is left alone in the forest deep in thought. In the early hours the colleague returns to fetch Vatanen but by now he is nowhere to be found.In the morning Vatanen awakes in a barn feeling like a new man. The hare is asleep by his side. The sun shines through a crack in the wall. Vatanen sets of to resume his wandering through the Finnish summer landscape the hare in his pocket. (to be cont. later)

Tags: psychedelic, boring

Review:
Archetype of finnish mentality.
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..
amazing film.
an all-time favorite - looking for DVD.
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..
Accessible magic.
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..
All Jarva's films are worth of seeing..
All Risto Jarva's films are worth of seeing.
Some like "Jäniksen vuosi" and "Loma" are best films in their genre and have reached a status of a classics in Finnish cinema-history.Most people have formed a impression of actor Antti Litja through Jarva's films.
Litja acted leading role in three of Jarva's films which all became successes at box office and movie reviews.It's nice to see that idea of "Jäniksen Vuosi" still lives in commercials (I think it was tele-operator Sonera's TV add where Litja was walking in mountain fell at Lapland with hare in his arms.
Everibody who has seen the film knows what I am talking about..) "Jäniksen Vuosi" Is a beautiful film with great actors and good filming locations - like famous small town in Lappland, Sodankylä, where the best Film festival in the world is held - The Midnight Sun Film Festival.
I recommend it for all to go there on June - but remember warm clothes and raincoat :).
The idea of human freedom has been discussed in great detail by Finnish director Risto Jarva in 'The Year of the hare'.
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..
Vatanen has had enough of his city life and starts a big adventure with a hare.
This enchanting movie is based on a novel by Arto Paasilinna.
The bestseller is one of the best books I've read.
Here's the story:One day journalist and photographer Kaarlo Vatanen decides to leave his past behind, and starts a new life wandering across the Finnish forests and countryside.
With him he has a companion, a young hare hit by a car.
Vatanen has to take care of the hare, because it's leg is wounded, so they start a journey together taking care of each other.In the course of their adventures they get almost shot by hunters, get caught by the police, meet many people and finally get to lapland, where they live peacefully, until a group of foreign tourist disturbs their privacy.
The hare falls ill and they must return to Helsinki to see the vet.Vatanen has found an ideal way of living, but the modern society tries to tie him back to his duties and taxes.
In Helsinki Vatanen took to drink, gets even engaged and imprisoned, but finally he and the hare flee.