The Lotta Svärd organisation was a paramilitary movement that originated in Finland at the end of WWI and spread to Sweden, Denmark and Estonia. The organisation was made up of female volunteers that wanted to serve their country by supporting the armed forces in a non-combatant role. By 1944 the Finnish Lotta Svärd counted 242 000 volunteers, the largest voluntary auxiliary organisation in the world, while the total population of Finland was under four million. During World War II some 100 000 men whose jobs were taken over by Lottas, were freed for military service. The Lottas worked in hospitals, air-raid warning posts, mail delivery, morgues, transport and other auxiliary tasks in the armed forces. The Lotta Svärd organisation was considered so important for the Finnish war effort that the Soviets made the dissolution of the organisation a special point in the armistice agreement.
The film Lupaus depicts the trials and tribulations of some of these young women, focusing on the sisters Anna and Mona and their friend Ruth. They serve in different roles and face different hardships and dangers to which the Lottas were exposed.
This is thus a war film with a difference. There are plenty of films about front line soldiers and their heroism and there are even some films about the home front, but very few indeed detail the role of auxiliary services in war. Women are allowed more emotions than men and thus this film is more moving than most other war stories. It really demonstrates the high price Finland was willing to pay for its freedom.
