Home of the Sun / Kaali Saladus – film review by Liivi Sandy
Director: Urmas E. Liiv
Producer: Riho Västrik/Vesilind Studios, Uldis Cekulis/Vides Filmu Studija
If a cosmic object collides with the earth it is a recipe for disaster. The devestation can be catastrophic.
Kaali Saladus / Home of the Sun, traces the archeological history of a massive meteor that struck Saremaa some 5,000 years ago. Located on the Baltic region’s second largest island, the impact left a 110-metre wide gash that could fit a seven-story building. Its diameter was almost that of a football field.
Kaali has been the subject of extensive research for hundreds of years. Lennart Meri, Estonia’s former president (1992-2001) was compelled to write two books on the topic and Kaali is still believed to hold many revealing secrets.
Increasingly fascinating details have emerged with the help of modern science, though historical folklore about the phenomenon tells an equally enchanting story.
Nägin Saaremaa põlema are lyrics to one such folk song, that could date back any number of years. The most intriguing element of the film is just that: the parallel ideas that emerge as a result of science and anthropology.
It is said that Saaremaa was discovered by seal hunters. Pagan mythology is still present in the island’s second largest church. The question remains as to whether a Scandanavian symbol highlighting a wounded sun on the church’s ceiling has any relation to the meteor.
No other crater has been as well preserved, well visited or well studied, anywhere else in the world. If you want to see what happens when a humoungous meteor hits earth than you need to go to Estonia, or EstDocs. It is a story of epic proportion.
"Home of the Sun" will be screened at the EstDocs Festival on Thursday October 21, 2010 at 7 pm at Tartu College. For ticketing and other information go to
www.estdocs.com.
