If you ask people from the Cambridge area, or even the UK, very few will be able to say they’ve seen an Estonian film. Estonia has a diverse and intriguing culture which it boasts through its short film. Although Estonia’s culture is portrayed explicitly through live action film, from viewing VISIONS FROM ESTONIA, Estonia’s real filmmaking talent lies in animation.
BIG HOUSE, the first of the shorts included in this year’s programme, uses black and pink and basic lines to form figures and a “big house”. BIG HOUSE’S strength is its simplicity, creating a cacophonous soundtrack of everyday sounds for the Estonian house which has been targeted by a robber; who ponders through the rooms to find various parts of everyday life. The phrase, “Less is more” has never been so relevant.
This particular short accomplishes what it’s here to do, and that’s purely to slap us in the face and say, “this is the real world”.
ANOTHER DIMENSION is an exploration into Estonian life. This disappointingly chaotic documentary offers no real conclusion to the topics explored and is edited in a disjointed fashion which is hard to follow. Despite this, it is interesting to observe how rich the Estonian landscape is, and to meet the innovators behind green energy, along with an overview of the Estonian paranormal culture of crop circles and portals into ANOTHER DIMENSION.
The third delight for us was THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RAINBOW. A more gritty approach to Estonian life, it explores the journey of a young female hitch-hiker and shows us the dark and deceiving world in which you can find yourself in when thumbing a lift, especially if you are a young female. This particular short accomplishes what it’s here to do, and that’s purely to slap us in the face and say, “this is the real world”. Despite its conviction in being an honest story, THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RAINBOW lacks in depth and is a little too dry, even if life beyond a translucent, beautiful rainbow isn’t all what it seems – which is the message that this short extends to the audience.
… nature is meant to be left to its own devices, and manmade creations all stem from the beauty and insignificance of the outside world …
Our penultimate short AS LIFE GOES ON is an endearing tale about an old, ill mother, confined to her apartment where she lives with her daughter. AS LIFE GOES ON is a mellow reminder to all that some birds are meant to fly, and the visiting of a gentle soul can revitalise even the frailest of beings. The significant lack of score plays into this and allows us as an audience to empathise with the dear old woman. In some ways she is constrained by her daughter, who comes home to realise that her mother is much more than the burden that she clearly feels she has become.
BODY MEMORY concludes the Estonian Shorts. Another brilliant animation, this short has a bizarre horror feel to it. As the story unravels, just like the subjects of this film, the audience is left questioning nature, how artificial beings are nothing more than artificial. Manmade items of leisure that are meant to come undone. An immensely clever concept, the short opens and closes in a way that shows nature is meant to be left to its own devices, and manmade creations all stem from the beauty and insignificance of the outside world. BODY MEMORY is definitely a short that has to be seen with your own eyes, to harness the magic this short radiates.