Back to the USSR

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Back to the USSR

Back to the USSR is a 1992 Finnish comedy-drama film directed by Jari Halonen and co-written with Jorma Tommila. It’s based on a 1971 novel by Jarkko Laine and mixes farce with serious themes. The story follows Reima Elo, a failing local communist, who is visited by a man who resembles Vladimir Lenin and travels with a coffin. Reima pesters him to help spread communism, only to discover the visitor is a vampire. Their unlikely partnership becomes a quirky battle against capitalism.

Cast highlights include Jorma Tommila as Reima Elo and Taisto Reimaluoto as Vladimir, with Rose-Marie Precht as Matsonska and Jari Halonen in a supporting role. The film was produced by Mondo Furioso Filmproductions, released on March 27, 1992 in Finland, runs 94 minutes, and is in Finnish. It had a budget of 900,000 Finnish marks.

Reception was mixed. Some praised it as an “amazing Finnish film” that tackles big ideas with heart, while others called it a collection of sketches stretched into a feature and criticized it as pointless. Five-star praise came from Kimmo Ahonen of Film-O-Holic, who highlighted strong performances and the blend of farce and tragedy.