Death Is Harder Than a Broken Heart

On the shimmering shores of Europe’s otherworldly edge, two teenage girls, Hanake and her best friend are discussing their first love interest while gazing out at yachts sailing to Kyoto. They whisper prayers and poems, the language of their longings. But the magic is fading in their isolated fishing village as they’re dealing with a recent disaster, with some indulging in erotic art, some in spiritual spells. It becomes clear that intimacy alone won’t help them process their loss.

Tundra of Lapland, Finland. Rupi, a young man who fills his days dealing and drinking, works in a mine hoping to raise enough money to escape the desolate village where he lives.

Freddy Grenzmann is Estonia’s last rockstar and the singer of a punk-rock band called Psychoterror. And a poet. The phenomenon of a rockstar stands outside of normality – is bigger than life. Recognizingly what we can say about Freddy, is that he is not normal – not on stage, nor in life. Freddy’s creation and life are equivalent – he puts everything out there. What makes Freddy interesting is not the social or textual play, but the ammount that he puts in. Possibility of total loss of self-control and the depth of a predictable human or metaphysical agony. This is the story of the last real rockstar and poet, his work and of a punkbands anatomy.

In the midst of the most horrid stagnation era in the Soviet Union – at the end of October 1982 – the Monk (Ivo Uukkivi), Allan Vainola, Peep Männil, and Villu Tamme gather for band practice in a room above the garage of a private house in Pääsküla and form one of the most (politically) heavyweight punk bands in history – Velikiye Luki. For the 60th jubilee of the Soviet Union, Ivo and Villu bake a voodoo ginger cookie and while they gobble it down, they demonstratively establish their programme of action: to destroy the Soviet Union.

The author of the film, Indrek Spungin, has reached the harbour of love and peace, he is married and the father of several children. Everything seems beautiful, but one day his wife tells him that if nothing changes, then their love and marriage will soon come to an end. Indrek is confused. He takes his friend Taavi and a camera and goes to find out what love really is. He questions representatives from a variety of social groups on topics such as love and marriage.

The film follows a handful of people with Russian roots living in Estonia who, unlike many of their compatriots, have found their way into the hearts of Estonians. How, and how much have they had to pay for it?

Peeter and Berlin are partners that support one another. Peeter says that there are a lot of people like him in Berlin: “This place attracts people like me, because you can be your true self. Berlin doesn't judge you for who you are. Berlin accepts you the way you are. You don't see this in a lot of other cities. You won't see such attitude in Estonia!” Without a doubt, Berlin is Peeter's home and Peeter is a part of Berlin. It is a story about a man's survival in the city, which offers him almost motherly care. It is a story about loneliness, struggle and freedom.

Liina has been planning for several years to unpack the artworks that have accumulated in her storage over time and document them. When she finally takes on this task, she encounters her own works, revealing to us the background of her art, social realities, and various ways of navigating society as a woman.