Though unnecessarily bookended by contemporary scenes, its superbly acted central section is powerful indeed.

During WWII around 70,000 Finnish children were sent to Sweden to be temporarily hosted, while their parents stayed in Finland.The story was touching as it took the viewer through the experiences of one 9 year old child, Eero , who was also sent to Sweden and he must dealt with language differences and his desire to return home.I found this movie to be very emotional and frustrating,because Eero never really had a chance to settle down and found his true family. In the beginning he had to leave his mom behind, to live with his foster parents in Sweden. Signe, the foster mother at the beginning of their relationship was extremely bitter towards him. Once he began to get to know the family, and he fitted in, he felt at home there.Then his mother wanted him to come back to Finland. The movie had wonderful acting, directing and cinematography. The Swedish landscape and the simple lifestyle of these people were brilliantly displayed.