Estonia

Who shot Lauri, a well-liked teacher with no known enemies in his local community? As he now lays comatose at home, his mother Elsa (Tiina Maelberg, a respected stage and TV actress making her film debut) acts as a devoted caregiver with infinite patience and resilience. A middle aged woman visibly stuck in a loveless marriage, the permanent quiet tension on her face only occasionally betrays hidden depths of lifelong frustration, unhappiness and resentment.

The official name of the Tallinn International Film Festival (PÖFF), is Black Nights an accurate moniker indeed for a festival taking place in a city which in November enjoys a scant 8 hours of light per day. “ideal conditions for watching a lot of movies” according to the organizers which like all Estonians seem to have a knack for putting the best possible face on a climate that can be less than forgiving.