Goodbye Soviet Union | |
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Directed by | Lauri Randla |
Written by | Lauri Randla |
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Starring |
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Cinematography | Elen Lotman |
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Running time | 86 minutes |
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Goodbye Soviet Union (Estonian : Hüvasti, NSVL, Finnish : Näkemiin Neuvostoliitto) is a 2020 Estonian-Finnish tragicomedy film and the first Ingrian film. It was written and directed by Lauri Randla. [1]
Set during the final years of the Soviet Union, the film follows Johannes (Niklas Kouzmitšev), a young boy growing up in an Ingrian family in Soviet Estonia. Johannes's free-spirited mother (Nika Savolainen) is drawn to Western ideals, while his grandmother (Ülle Kaljuste) hopes to raise him as a loyal Soviet citizen. Amid the backdrop of Estonia's push for independence, Johannes navigates family tensions, his mother's emigration to Finland, and his first love with a Chechen girl named Vera (Elene Baratašvili).
The film was financed by Estonian Film Institute, Finnish Film Foundation, Eurimages, and Eesti Kultuurkapital, and was co-produced with Yle. Distribution in Finland was handled by B-Plan Distribution. Both Estonian Film Institute and the Finnish Film Foundation expressed strong early interest in the project. [2] Notably, it became the largest single investment by Estonian Film Institute. [2]
The film was initially slated for release in March 2020, but its premiere was delayed. Pre-screenings in June were met with high demand, selling out in parts of the Helsinki metropolitan area. [3]
The film received generally positive reviews, with praise for its humor and unique perspective on Soviet life.
Rating (out of 5) | Reference |
Karjalainen | 4/5 | [4] |
Me Naiset | 4/5 | [5] |
Helsingin Sanomat | 2/5 | [6] |
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Karelia is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Russia, Finland, and Sweden. It is currently divided between northwestern Russia and Finland.
The Ingrians, sometimes called Ingrian Finns, are the Finnish population of Ingria, descending from Lutheran Finnish immigrants introduced into the area in the 17th century, when Finland and Ingria were both parts of the Swedish Empire. In the forced deportations before and after World War II, and during the genocide of Ingrian Finns, most of them were relocated to other parts of the Soviet Union, or killed. Today the Ingrian Finns constitute the largest part of the Finnish population of the Russian Federation. According to some records, some 25,000 Ingrian Finns have returned or still reside in the region of Saint Petersburg.
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Ülle Kaljuste is an Estonian stage, film, television and radio actress.
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