Hiiumaa Cinema: “Etudes of Life”

Screenings of the feature film “Etudes of Life” on Hiiumaa:
– 1 November at 14:00, Emmaste School Hall (Eha Urbsalu will be there)
– 1 November at 18:00, Kärdla Cinema Hall (Eha Urbsalu will be there)
– 2 November at 20:00, Kärdla Cinema Hall
– 4 November at 17:30, Kärdla Cinema Hall
– 20 November at 20:00, Käina Huvi- ja Kultuurikeskus

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ETUDES OF LIFE

It is 1994, and Paul comes to Estonia for the first time, to Hiiumaa, to see the former home of his grandmother Elsa. He discovers a family story whose secrets reach back to the most tumultuous years in Estonia’s history.

In 1924, young Elsa leaves her home on Hiiumaa and her communist neighbour Vaino when the charismatic artist Markus Müller enters her life. Elsa chooses Markus and begins a new life in Tallinn. Twenty years later, in 1944, Elsa’s life falls apart amid the turmoil of war. Her marriage to Markus conceals dangerous secrets, and German officer Hans enters her life. The Chopin étude he plays on the piano accompanies a forbidden love at a time when the world around them is crumbling.

When Elsa’s daughter Marta falls into the hands of the returning Soviet army, Elsa’s past catches up with her. Her only chance to save her daughter is to turn to the man she left behind twenty years earlier. Vaino is now a Soviet officer—and the fate of Elsa’s daughter is in his hands.

“Etudes of Life” is an epic romantic historical drama about love, family and choices whose consequences can reach across generations. In its emotional world, the film evokes classic love dramas “Doctor Zhivago” and “Casablanca”, while telling a deeply Estonian story. The cast includes Eha Urbsalu, Mart Sander, Triin Lellep, Jasmin Selberg, Merle Palmiste, Crispian Belfrage and Saskia Slaaf.