# Finnish Movie for new recruits Taistelukenttä, or Battlefield



## Colin Parkinson (10 Jun 2020)

This very well done movie is shown to new recruits to prepare them for a defending their homeland in a conflict. They certainly don't pull any punches and the movie is graphic at times. It's not translated or sub-titled, but i think most will get the gist of it.

The original Taistelukenttä starts with shots of the beautiful Finnish wilderness and wildlife set to a 90s folk-rock ballad, then segues into footage of 1990s Finland: hockey victories, Helsinki beaches, farms. Presumably, the purpose of these shots is to remind the viewer of what they are defending. Of course, such shots probably seem incredibly nostalgic and quaint to contemporary viewers. As the song ends, the film cuts to shots of burnt buildings, interspersed with footage of an FDF soldier watching through the window of a car. After a couple of seconds of that, the exposition for the battle for Finland begins. 

A news anchor announces that Finland and Sweden have increased defense cooperation, followed by announcements of the Netherlands, France, and Britain reinstituting the draft. Things seem to ramp up slowly, with Finland restricting access to its borders to only those with visas, NATO undertaking major military exercises in Germany, and the EU demanding Finland give military assistance to the Baltics. It’s important to note that the time frame here is in months: on the fake newspapers that are splashed onto the screen, the earliest is in October 1997. Things continue to ramp up, with preparations for general mobilization and reservists being called up to fight in April 1998. We see limited martial law provisions being implemented before the war, presumably due to some sabotage acts that occurred. Petrol and goods rations are imposed on the populace, media stations are brought under government control, and non-essential civilians are evacuated from the capital. Finally, things come to a head after a Finnish F/A-18 Hornet is shot down in the Gulf of Finland. This is a very slow, even Cold War-esque buildup to war. From the first headline to the last, there is a year of preparation, and a lot of time is given for the government to harden its facilities and draw up men. 


 1998 version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJvrY04r8io

 2020 version, less graphic, sub-titled in English, not as realistic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTmWCbcYwb8


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