At the end of her studies and an affair in Moscow, Laura from Finland boards on a train to Murmansk to see some ancient petroglyphs. She finds herself sharing Compartment No. 6 with Ljoha, a brash-talking, vodka-swilling Russian miner. Their shared accommodations on the trip to the Arctic Circle leads to honesty and affinity between the two strangers. The no-nonsense dialogue between the two is anything but come-hither, and their relationship is more empathetic than romantic. But this (almost) love story displays a profound understanding of the basic desire for human connection. Juho Kuosmanen’s The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki (2016) won the Prix Un Certain Régard at the Cannes Film Festival 2016. And now, his second feature, Compartment No. 6, has won the Grand Prix at Cannes. He is ready to join the next generation of great auteurs. (Karen PARK)