“Malev,” which loosely translates to “Men At Arms,” was this year’s winter excitement for the Vancouver Estonians. It had been greatly advertised and after reading the film's synopsis I, like many others, could hardly contain my excitement to share in the glory of this popular film. But little did I know, that in order to get to the sharing, I would have to go through some icy conditions.
After a dreadful and tiring day at work I was ecstatic when my sister reminded me that Estonia’s film entry was showing that night in Vancouver. The annual European Film Festival has always kept me looking forward to watching Estonia’s newest film and this year was no exception.
While still at the mall I looked at my phone to see the time and instant panic struck me. 18:00, the movie began at 19:30. I had only a short allowance of time to take the bus home and pick up the car to get on my way. Frantically, I began contacting other friends and family to see whether they were going, but no such luck. With the sudden snowstorm the roads had been classified as slippery and risky (which I came to terms with later) and therefore many people had decided to stay inside. So I took matters into my own hands and decided to venture off on my own. I hopped onto the bus and began my adventure.
When I finally got home it was 19:00 and I had just enough time to change my clothes, brush the snow off the car and start driving. I called my sister to ask for directions to the theatre but my phone battery failed in the middle of conversation, which meant I would have to rely on my own sense of direction. It was then that I started to doubt going.
It took me ten minutes alone just to get out of our street parking spot. Ten minutes of driving forwards and backwards, forwards and backwards until finally the tires could grip the road. My drive to downtown was slow but smooth and thankfully no car accidents occurred. So I was downtown and still in safe condition ... but where was the theatre? Or better yet, where was I? I have never been good with directions and somehow I manage to get lost everywhere, even in my own neighbourhood. It is a big day for me when I can drive from point A to point B without stopping at points F, S, and Y along the way.
Finally, I gave up on trying to find the theatre and took the first parking spot that I could see, assuming that I was close enough to run the rest of the way. The parking spot was icy and slippery (like the rest) as well as the sign above read, "Permit parking only" but I decided to test my luck and take the risk. Once I realized that I had no idea where I was or where I was supposed to go panic began to sink in.
I ran to find a phone because my cell was of no use and inside a corner drycleaner’s I quickly called my friend who helped me figure out where I was standing. After a bit of confusion we found that I was 12 or so blocks away from the theatre, so I started to run.
The snow outside was blowing hard and it hit my face like little wet kisses of ice and my throat froze and burned at the same time because the air was so cold. My feet pushed me forward so quickly that after a while I had forgotten I was even running. Just when I thought that I had had enough and couldn't run any longer I noticed a taxicab on the side of the road.
"Surely I am still at least ten minutes away,” I thought to myself as I jumped inside the car. The cab driver laughed when I told him my destination because I could barely utter a word without gasping for air first but he assured me that I was close by and the drive would be quick.
One minute later (literally) I finally arrived at my destination. After paying the driver $3.25 and thanking him for the ride I burst through the theatre doors and instantaneously felt at home once I heard the familiar sounds of the Estonian language. I took my seat beside my friends and for the first time within those two hectic hours I was able to sit back and relax.
Looking back on the past events that had unfolded that evening I began to laugh at my somewhat foolish determination but as I watched the movie I knew that it was worth the trouble.
“Malev” is a movie that has been tickling Baltic funny bones since its release. Set in 1208, the premise is that the people of Estonia enjoy singing, dancing, and tending to their farms but little do they know, that the way of war is on it’s way — and the people are not prepared. In the middle of everything is Uru (Ott Sepp) who recently returned from Western Europe with a Catholic education and a dream for Estonia’s freedom. He warns the elders and tries to persuade them to build an army but his attempts are of no use: the elders are slow and do not take ear to what young Uru has to say. Uru and his friends continue their quest to unite the Estonian people together to fight for their lives and to win the one thing that they have dreamt about. Freedom.
Combine this gripping story with the witty humour and beautiful Estonian landscape and you get “Malev”.
So even though my journey to the movie was rocky and it might have been smarter for me to stay home, I knew that I could not give up because of how important the movie was to me. Not because it was entertaining or because it was an excuse to get out of the house, but purely because it was Estonian. Because it was spoken in the language of our ancestors and because it was filmed on the stunning land of the country.
Although I was not born in Estonia and I do not speak the language, in my heart I will always consider Estonia to be my home. A home that one day I would like to return to. And with that thought in my heart I continued to push forward on my journey just like Uru did in his. It is funny how powerful you can feel when you are prideful ... or maybe it was just stubbornness. Whatever it was, I still made it to the theatre in one piece. Now it was just a matter of making it home.