June 14, 1941, 3 a.m. Over 40000 people from Estonia, Latvia
and Lithuania are deported by Soviets to Siberia. Among them
is philosophy student Erna, a happily married mother of a
little girl. Separated from her husband, Erna and her daughter
are dispatched together with other women and children to remote
Siberian territories.
Despite hunger, fear and brutal humiliation, in the fifteen
years to come Erna never loses her sense of freedom and hope
of returning to her homeland; she finds solace in keeping
a diary and writing letters to her husband.
The story is inspired by real events. As time seems to stop
for Erna when her family is ripped apart, the audience find
themselves locked in time: through a technique called "tableau
vivant", with groups of actors captured motionless, and just
the camera moving through a three-dimensional picture. Told
in this very special film language, the story is accompanied
by young Estonian composer Pärt Uusberg’s music.
