''The Year of the Hare'' ( fi, Jäniksen vuosi) is a 1977 Finnish drama film directed by

Risto Jarva Risto Antero Jarva (15 July 1934 – 16 December 1977) was a Finnish filmmaker. Jarva usually approached his long films and short documentary films from some social problem and from one or more possible ways to solve it. Such problems included t ...

, starring

Antti Litja Antti Vilho Olavi Litja (21 February 1938 – 13 July 2022) was a Finnish actor. Litja made over 60 film and television appearances since 1959. A prominent figure in Finnish film in the 1970s and 1980s, since the mid-1990s he mostly appeared o ...

as a man who leaves his office job in Helsinki to live in the wilderness with a hare. The film is based on the 1975 book '' The Year of the Hare'' by

Arto Paasilinna Arto Tapio Paasilinna (, approximately ; 20 April 1942 – 15 October 2018) was a Finnish writer, being a former journalist turned comic novelist. One of Finland's most successful novelists,exVirtual Finland, 2007 Archived at Wayback Machine. he w ...

. ''The Year of the Hare'' was the last film of Risto Jarva; he died in a car accident on his way back from a private showing of the film, and the subsequent party.IS: Menestysohjaaja Risto Jarva kuoli vain 43-vuotiaana koko Suomea järkyttäneessä kolarissa – Eija-ystävä nousi taksista vain hetki ennen tragedia
(in Finnish)

Plot

A man, Vatanen, wakes in a high-rise apartment block. After a minimal comment to his bedraggled wife, he heads off to his work as a deodorant advertising agent. After being reprimanded by his boss that his standards are slipping, he's sent with a colleague, Miettinen, on a business trip. En route, Miettinen outlines his future plans within the

rat race A rat race is an endless, self-defeating, or pointless pursuit. The phrase equates humans to rats attempting to earn a reward such as cheese, in vain. It may also refer to a competitive struggle to get ahead financially or routinely. The term is ...

, while Vatanen points out that the product they sell is damaging to the

ozone layer The ozone layer or ozone shield is a region of Earth's stratosphere that absorbs most of the Sun's ultraviolet radiation. It contains a high concentration of ozone (O3) in relation to other parts of the atmosphere, although still small in rela ...

. During a business meeting, he dreams of nature and an attractive woman. En route to

Heinola Heinola () is a town and a municipality of inhabitants () located in the eastern part of the Päijänne Tavastia region, Finland, near the borders of the South Savonia region and the Kymenlaakso region. It is the third largest municipality in ...

, their car hits a hare. Vatanen gets out to investigate, and heads into the woods, where he remains with the injured hare. Miettinen gets impatient and drives on. He later returns, but cannot find Vatanen. Vatanen takes the hare to a

veterinarian A veterinarian (vet), also known as a veterinary surgeon or veterinary physician, is a medical professional who practices veterinary medicine. They manage a wide range of health conditions and injuries in non-human animals. Along with this, vet ...

, and receives treatment for its leg, plus dietary advice. Vatanen sells his boat via telephone, and arranges for the money to be sent to Heinola. After narrowly evading his wife and colleagues, he manages to collect the money. Vatanen gets a permit and better dietary advice for his hare in

Southern Savonia South Savo (or Southern Savonia; fi, Etelä-Savo; sv, Södra Savolax) is a region in the south-east of Finland. It borders the regions of North Savo, North Karelia, South Karelia, Kymenlaakso, Päijät-Häme, and Central Finland. The total are ...

. He buys a lottery ticket in

Kuopio Kuopio (, ) is a Finnish city and municipality located in the region of Northern Savonia. It has a population of , which makes it the most populous municipality in Finland. Along with Joensuu, Kuopio is one of the major urban, economic, and cult ...

and wins some

stereo Stereophonic sound, or more commonly stereo, is a method of sound reproduction that recreates a multi-directional, 3-dimensional audible perspective. This is usually achieved by using two independent audio channels through a configuration ...

equipment. Vatanen heads into the forests, chatting to the hare. After attempting to sell the stereo, he's arrested by the police. Upon release, he stays in a fisherman's hut, where he meets a man (Hannikainen) who's obsessed with the notion that the

President of Finland The president of the Republic of Finland ( fi, Suomen tasavallan presidentti; sv, Republiken Finlands president) is the head of state of Finland. Under the Constitution of Finland, executive power is vested in the Finnish Government and the p ...

Kekkonen Urho Kaleva Kekkonen (; 3 September 1900 – 31 August 1986), often referred to by his initials UKK, was a Finnish politician who served as the eighth and longest-serving president of Finland from 1956 to 1982. He also served as prime minister ...

, has been substituted by a younger double. During a forest fire, he saves a drunken

moonshine Moonshine is high-proof liquor that is usually produced illegally. The name was derived from a tradition of creating the alcohol during the nighttime, thereby avoiding detection. In the first decades of the 21st century, commercial dist ...

r, Salosensaari, whose factory has burned down. He finds refuge in a cabin, but is chased off by its owners, who threaten to shoot him, wanting to eat his hare. He finds another cabin, but again his peace is disturbed by a group of tourists, keen to meet a real hermit. He tires of them and again heads off. The next recluse he meets attempts to make an animal sacrifice of the hare, tying it to a rock. After sneaking home and briefly encountering his wife, he reaches the conclusion that he will never be truly free until his records are erased from government computers, which he endeavours to do. He wakes in

Turku Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a city and former capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River, in the region of Finland Proper (''Varsinais-Suomi'') and the former Turku and Pori Province (''Turun ja Porin lääni''; ...

with

amnesia Amnesia is a deficit in memory caused by brain damage or disease,Gazzaniga, M., Ivry, R., & Mangun, G. (2009) Cognitive Neuroscience: The biology of the mind. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. but it can also be caused temporarily by the use ...

, and with a lady, Leila, he'd apparently met during a lengthy drinking spree in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

. He discovers that, despite being married, he's somehow become engaged to her (she's a lawyer). After police questioning, he's put on trial, and then in prison for his recent misdemeanours. His new future wife wants him to grow up and conform to her work expectations. The hare escapes from its cage, as does Vatanen from his prison cell, leaving the engagement ring behind.

Cast

as Kaarlo Vatanen *

Kauko Helovirta Kauko Kustaa Helovirta (Hellström, 21 October 1924, Juupajoki – 13 September 1997, Helsinki, Finland) was a Finnish film actor. Helovirta entered film in 1950 and made about 40 Finnish films between then and 1995. Helovirta starred in the ...

as a police officer * Markku Huhtamo as a taxi driver in Mikkeli *

Paavo Hukkinen Paavo Hukkinen (27 October 1911 in Hanover, Germany – 7 June 1988 in Helsinki) was a German-Finnish actor. Hukkinen entered film in 1937 starring in the film Tukkijoella and appeared in some 70 Finnish films and TV series between then an ...

as a taxi driver in Heinola * Juha Kandolin as photographer Miettinen *

Kosti Klemelä Kosti Klemelä (29 February 1920 – 26 March 2006) was a Finnish actor. He is best remembered for playing the role of Lt. Koskela in the Edvin Laine film ''The Unknown Soldier (1955 film), The Unknown Soldier'' (1955). In addition to his film car ...

as U. Kärkkäinen * Anna-Maija Kokkinen as lawyer Leila Heikkinen * Martti Kuningas as Hannikainen, former rural police chief * Ahti Kuoppala as Kaartinen * Hannele Lanu as the kiosk holder *

Jukka Sipilä Jukka Sipilä (12 May 1936, Kivijärvi – 7 August 2004, Helsinki, Finland) was a prolific Finland, Finnish actor and television director. He began acting in film in the 1960s and took up TV directing shortly in the early 1970s before concentrat ...

as Salosensaari, a moonshiner * Hannu Lauri as advertising chief Huhtinen *

Heikki Nousiainen Heikki Nousiainen (born 19 June 1945 in Helsinki, Finland) is a Finnish film and television actor. Nousiainen made his acting debut in the television movie Henrik ja Perinlla in 1967. He entered film in 1971, as both a director and an actor in ...

as Tourist guide Toropainen, "Mr. Toro" * Esa Pakarinen Jr. as a police officer * Martti Pennanen as a hunter * Tuija Piepponen as Irja (scenes deleted)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Year of the Hare, The 1977 drama films 1977 films Films directed by Risto Jarva 1970s Finnish-language films Films based on Finnish novels Finnish drama films

Plot

Cast

See also

References

External links