Edge of the Night

A portrait of a giant garage complex, located in the largest blockhouse area of Tallinn. Here 700 garage box owners form an extraordinary men's club, and vary from those who just keep their cars and those who adapt their boxes for living. The complex becomes even more unique with the existence of private saunas, a restaurant, an animal clinic and other artifacts of life stuck in time 20 years back.

Located in the heart of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, the Hippodrome used to be the centre of entertainment for all its neighbouring countries. For nearly 100 years, it has lured visitors with bets and races. All that remains today of this majestic racecourse is a lonely horse stable. Now it is more of a social club than a prestigious racetrack. Animal lovers and sports fans still meet here despite the poor conditions. Bizarre parties and engagement photo sessions are held at the Hippodrome, and this is where the best Swedish racehorses are still trained. This hypnotic black and white film is an ode to a disappearing era and a unique subculture in a place soon to be demolished to make way for the triumphal march of business-oriented real estate development.

The town of Maardu in Estonia organises an annual Ukrainian-themed festival, called 'Sorochinsky Fair' after the short story by Nikolai Gogol. More than 15,000 people come every year. This is the largest Ukrainian fair outside of Ukraine, and it has even been entered into the Ukrainian Book of Records. This festival presents life in all its vividness, variety, and unpredictability, with the beauty contest as its central motif. The protagonists of Gogol's works are transported to the modern day in all their enchanting absurdity, and they fit in pretty well. It is a kaleidoscope of incidents and viewpoints, observed with engagement and curiosity.

Traditionally, a few minutes before the New Year, the President of Russia delivers New Year's greetings on the main TV channels, which is filmed against the backdrop of the Kremlin. For the first time in history, a record-long speech of Vladimir Putin was filmed against the backdrop of the military personnel.

Three women, unrelated to each other, live their usual day. Anya is getting ready for her prom. Lena spends her day at work managing plumbers and janitors. Pensioner Lyudmila preaches the Word of God. Only subtle visual parallels connect the heroines of the film. They are somewhat similar to each other. An action begun by one seems to be completed by another. Step by step, from dawn to dusk, from youth to old age. And a lived day turns into a lived life.