I watched Meidän poikamme and it’s a weirdly charming army ad

I’ll be honest right away: if you hate silent movies or anything that feels like a history lesson, you should probably just keep scrolling. But if you’ve got a soft spot for grainy black-and-white footage of guys in huge wool coats, you might actually like Meidän poikamme.

It’s worth watching today if you want to see what Finland looked like before everything became modern and shiny. It’s perfect for people who like people-watching, because the faces in this movie are incredible. If you want a fast-paced action movie, you will absolutely hate this.

The whole thing starts out in the countryside. It’s all very peaceful and slow. You get these long shots of fields and water that make you want to go take a nap in a haystack. It’s almost too quiet, even for a silent film.

Then the boys have to leave for the army. This part felt real to me. The way the families stand around looking a bit awkward while saying goodbye is something that hasn't changed in a hundred years. You can see the moms trying not to cry, and the dads acting all tough.

The main guy is played by Axel Slangus, and he’s got this very solid, dependable face. He doesn't do the wild eye-rolling you see in movies like His Wooden Wedding. He just looks like a guy who is ready to do his job. It’s refreshing, honestly.

There is this one scene where they are all getting their uniforms. The boots look incredibly uncomfortable. You can almost feel the blisters forming through the screen. I found myself staring at the background extras more than the main actors sometimes.

The training scenes go on for quite a while. If you like watching men march in straight lines, this is your lucky day. It’s clearly meant to make the Finnish army look very organized and impressive. It’s basically a high-budget recruitment video from 1929.

I noticed that the horses in this movie are better actors than some of the humans. They just stand there with so much dignity while the soldiers are fumbling with their gear. There’s a scene with a cavalry charge that is actually pretty cool to look at. The dust kicking up everywhere gives it a gritty feeling.

Birgit Sergelius plays the girl left behind, and she has that classic silent movie star look. Her eyes are huge. She spends a lot of time looking wistfully out of windows or at letters. It’s a bit cliché, but she’s so charming that you don’t really mind.

The humor is a bit hit or miss. Uuno Laakso is supposed to be the funny one, I think. He does a lot of physical comedy that feels a bit dated now. It reminded me a little of the silliness in Oh Teacher, but with more dirt and military discipline.

One thing that bugged me was the pacing in the middle. It feels like the director, Erkki Karu, just couldn't decide which marching scene to cut. So he just kept them all in. It starts to feel a bit repetitive after the third or fourth time they walk past the camera.

But then there are these tiny moments that save it. Like a soldier trying to sneak a smoke, or the way a group of guys looks when they are finally off duty. Those moments feel human. They make the movie feel less like a piece of propaganda and more like a diary.

The ending is exactly what you expect. There’s a big parade. Everyone looks very proud. The music—well, the music depends on what version you’re watching, but the visual rhythm is very triumphant. It’s a bit much, but it fits the vibe of the time.

I found myself thinking about Hail the Woman while watching the domestic scenes. There’s that same focus on "duty" and doing the right thing for your family and country. It’s a very old-fashioned way of looking at the world.

The film is pretty long for what it is. I think it could have been twenty minutes shorter without losing anything important. Some of the landscape shots, while pretty, start to feel like filler after a while. I get it, Finland has a lot of trees.

Also, the makeup on some of the actors is a bit heavy. In the close-ups, you can see the thick white powder on their faces. It makes them look a bit like ghosts, which is unintentional but kind of spooky. Especially in the scenes that are supposed to be romantic.

Is it a masterpiece? Probably not. But it’s a very honest movie. It doesn't try to be something it’s not. It just wants to show you these boys and their journey.

If you’re having a slow Sunday and want to travel back in time, it’s a good choice. Just make sure you have some coffee ready for the long marching sequences. They really do go on and on.

Random notes from my notebook:

• The hats are seriously tall. How did they stay on during the wind?
• The way they eat soup is very intense. Lots of aggressive spooning.
• I’m pretty sure one of the extras in the background of the barracks scene is actually asleep.
• The cinematography during the forest scenes is actually better than the city stuff.
• I want one of those wool sweaters. They look like they weigh twenty pounds.

Overall, I'm glad I watched it. It’s not something I’ll watch every year, but it’s a nice window into a world that’s totally gone now. It’s much more grounded than something like The Flight of the Duchess, which feels more like a fairy tale. This is just life. Or at least, life as the government wanted people to see it in 1929. 🇫🇮