I’ve put together a short video introducing four standout Estonian films — and where you can watch them in Australia this summer. Watch the video below, then read on for a little more about each film and what makes them worth your time.
Spring (Kevade) – 1969, directed by Arvo Kruusement
Set in rural Estonia during the transition from the 19th to the 20th century, Spring is a classic film that follows six school friends — Arno, Teele, Toots, Kiir, Tõnisson and Imelik — as they come of age, fall in love for the first time, and experience their first heartbreaks.
The film is based on a 1912 novel by Oskar Luts, which has also been adapted into a stage musical and a ballet. ERR notes that when the book was first published, it sold for 60 kopecks — equivalent at the time to 10 loaves of bread or half a kilogram of butter!
The famous film adaptation is just the first part of a masterful trilogy by director Arvo Kruusement, with the thematic sequels being appropriately titled Summer (Suvi, 1976) and Autumn (Sügis, 1990). For anyone who grew up in Estonia (or wants to know what that was like), it’s a must see.
I haven’t yet found a streaming service that carries Spring in Australia. You may be able to purchase a DVD of the film from overseas, provided you have a region-free player at home.
November – 2017, directed by Rainer Sarnet
November is a modern take on old Estonian folklore. Two main storylines intertwine in this film: one set in a peasant village populated by supernatural beings — including farm tools with souls — and another following a girl trying to make a boy fall in love with her. It’s got witchcraft, it’s got romance, it’s got suspense … and it’s got a healthy dose of real history.
Set during the time of the Baltic German rule, when native Estonians were impoverished serfs, the main appeal of November is the costumes, sets and cinematography. Shot intentionally in a luscious black and white, being able to witness the manipulation of light and shadow as this bizarre tale unfolds is a real visual feast. See if you can spot which prominent folk legend predicted the rise of ChatGPT!
November is available to stream on SBS On Demand.
Smoke Sauna Sisterhood (Savvusanna sõsarad) – 2023, directed by Anna Hints
Every Estonian knows the sauna is an ancient place of community and healing. Even though not many Aussies have a sauna in the backyard, it’s easy to see why the unassuming Smoke Sauna Sisterhood captured so many hearts and minds on the film festival circuit: Anna Hints’ non-fiction depiction of the secret world of the Estonian smoke sauna — and the multitude of hardships regular women face daily — is as equally revealing as it is heartbreaking.
The camera work will intrigue you as it draws you into the changing Estonian forest landscape. Then, as these real women undergo their own bathing and cleansing rituals for the body, the kinship they find in the steam of the wooden sauna hut also provides a much needed detox of their souls … and maybe yours will, too. I was looking up the nearest sauna as soon as the credits rolled.
Smoke Sauna Sisterhood can be found on DocPlay.
The Invisible Fight (Nähtamatu võitlus) – 2023, directed by Rainer Sarnet
The Invisible Fight is a wacky, bombastic genre flick about an Estonian border guard on the Soviet-Chinese border who decides to seek enlightenment by training as a floating martial artist at a hidden Christian Orthodox monastery.
And if “kung fu Christian monks in Estonia” isn’t enough to process, there’s also a love triangle, a potential second coming, and mid century social commentary, all paired with a Black Sabbath soundtrack. It’s truly one of the wildest films I’ve ever seen. I can’t wait to see what Sarnet cooks up next.
The Invisible Fight is available to stream on SBS On Demand.
