Image couresy of the Estonian Film Database
It is 1950 in the Soviet Estonia and the Stalinist terror machine works at full steam – 6-year-old Leelo’s school principal mother is arrested before her very eyes. “If you’re a good kid, I’ll be back soon,” are her mother’s last words as she is taken away at gunpoint. So Leelo is on her very best behaviour, but yet her mother does not return.
A fear creeps into the child’s soul that it is her fault her mother was taken. The confusion only grows as “good” and “bad” no longer seem to hold any meaning in these troubled times. Why is the Estonian flag suddenly forbidden? Who is the people’s enemy and why is the scary NKVD lurking around their home? Is it an honour or a shame to be a pioneer?
In this odd two-faced world, Leelo tries her best to be good, but is instead embroiled in one scrape after another and becomes ever more confused as to what it even means to be a good kid.
The film has won numerous awards – Berlinale (2016), Locarno (2017), Busan (2018), Waterloo Historical Film Festival (2018), Nordic Film Days Lübeck (2018), Estonian Film and Televisioin Award (2019).
At the Molodist Kyiv International Film Festival, The Little Comrade competes in the International Competition / Full Length category.
The inimitable Tambet Tuisk will be present in Cinema Kyiv at the screening on May 30.
TIME AND PLACE
| Date | Place | Time |
| 29/05/2019 | Kiev Cinema/ Blue Hall | 12:00 |
| 30/05/2019 | Kiev Cinema/ Red Hall | 13:00 |