Strand Releasing
Veiko Õunpuu's “Sugisball” (“Autumn Ball”) striking feature directorial debut is a black comedy about the inhabitants of an apartment tower who attempt to overcome isolation in late Soviet-era Estonia.
Veiko Õunpuu is a humanist who finds humor in the most desperate situations. His narrative depicts the misadventures in life and in love of a disparate group of characters that never lose hope.
When the tale begins, Mati, a young writer, lurks outside the window of his former wife, unsuccessfully approaching other women. In contrast, when August Kask, a barber living a drab life who, befriends a little girl, his efforts are misconstrued as pedophilia.
Meanwhile, single mom Laura watches a sappy soap opera on TV and pushes away men’s advances, because she basically cannot trust them. Maurer, the architect, is preoccupied with the well-being and fate of the entire human race, while neglecting his own wife. Unfazed, the wife looks for solace in the coatroom attendant Theo. Women like Theo, but due to his low social status, they don’t take him seriously.
Ultimately, “Sugisball,” which has won many festival awards for its original narrative and directorial strategy, is a pitch black comedy about people attempting to overcome isolation and loneliness.
Cast
Rain Tolk, Taavi Eelmaa, Juhan Ulfsak, Sulevi Peltola, Tiina Tauraite, Maarja Jakobson, Mirtel Phola, Iris Persson.
Credits
Running time: 123 minutes-
Unrated
In Estonian with English Subtitles
