Hytti nro 6

The close encounter of strangers on a train is a familiar motive in both literature and cinema and has often proven very effective. Great directors from Alfred Hitchcock to Richard Linklater have tried the formula and questioned fate: what might happen when two people unexpectedly meet, are forced to spend time together, and get involved as a result?
In his second feature, Finnish director Juho Kuosmanen finds an exhilarant approach to this well-worn narrative; HYTTO NRO 6, already celebrated in Cannes this year, features an unlikely pair, two young actors named Yurij Borisov and Seidi Haarla, the former an outstanding new talent in Russian (and increasingly international) cinema, the latter a sensitive new actress from Finland. The chemistry of this duo, the conflicts, and the growing fondness between a rough, seemingly vulgar young worker and a calm, bashful student on their journey to Murmansk work wonders.
HYTTO NRO 6 is a naturalistically arranged, highly engaging story based on a novel by Finnish writer Rosa Liksom. The film may evoke the smell of cheap alcohol, cigarette haze, and unaired waiting rooms but it is undoubtedly worth the effort: an astonishingly unsentimental romance. (Stefan Grissemann)

Juho Kuosmanen: ROADMARKERS (2007, K), CITIZENS (2008, K), THE PAINTING SELLERS (2010), PONY FREAK (2013, K), THE HAPPIEST DAY IN THE LIFE OF OLLI MAKI (2016), KAKARAT (2020, TV-Serie)