Scandinavian Silence / Skandinaavia vaikus
Estonia, France, Belgium 2019
Directed by Martti Helde, psychological drama, 75 min, eng subtitles, 16+
Written by Nathaniel Price & Martti Helde
With Rea Lest, Reimo Sagor
Jenna and her brother - a freshly released prisoner - drive on a snow-covered road through seemingly endless woodlands trying to escape from their past, as we see them from three different angles. Martti Helde, the director of the acclaimed In the Crosswinds (CinEast 2015), in this his second feature conveys an introspective study on human (and family) relations, all adorned with atmospheric, ambient music and astounding cinematography by Erik Põllumaa and Sten-Johan Lill.
Helde’s sophomore is a poetic, black and white, hypnotic tale, set somewhere in the middle of a winterly, seemingly unrestrained land, where the immense power of nature is confronted with limited inter-human synergy and stuttering communication. Scandinavian Silence is a film with three parts, two characters and one obsession: to prevent the past from taking over.
Awards:
Karlovy Vary IFF 2019 (East of the West competition)