email print share on Facebook share on Twitter share on LinkedIn share on reddit pin on Pinterest

PRODUCTION / FUNDING Estonia / Finland

Lauri Randla's comedy Goodbye Soviet Union set to hit cinemas

by 

- The Estonian-Finnish co-production tells the story of the adventures of the Ingrian-Finnish Tarkkinen family during the last days of the Soviet Union

Lauri Randla's comedy Goodbye Soviet Union set to hit cinemas
Goodbye Soviet Union by Lauri Randla (© Exitfilm)

Lauri Randla's comedy Goodbye Soviet Union [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lauri Randla
film profile
]
will be soon ready for theatrical release. This is the director's debut feature, which follows his short Mausoleum (2016), awarded at several international film festivals in Canada, Romania, Lithuania, and the UK. Before prepping Goodbye Soviet Union, Randla also wrote and directed one of the episodes of Õuduskasset, an Estonian omnibus horror film released in 2017.

Randla, who also wrote the script for his new endeavour, will tell the story of Johannes, born into the eccentric Tarkkinen family during the last days of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic. When his mother leaves for Finland and he is left to be raised by his grandparents, snappy Johannes is forced to face life on his own. He falls head over heels in love with his classmate Vera, takes risks, gets into fights and gets punished. Meanwhile, in the background, the “Evil Empire” collapses. As Lenin falls and the Barbie dolls take over, Gena the Crocodile and the Moskvitches are forced to step aside, leaving the road to the West wide open.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

The confirmed members of the main cast are Niklas Kouzmitchev, Nika Savolainen, Ülle Kaljuste, Tõnu Oja, Pääru Oja and Jekaterina Novosjolova. Meanwhile, the technical crew attached to the project includes DoP Elen Lotman (When You Least Expect It, Demons) and production designer Jaana Jüris (Kutsar koputab kolm korda, Knife). The production, filmed entirely in Estonia, was shot in three different languages – namely, Estonian, Russian and Ingrian Finnish.

Goodbye Soviet Union is being produced by Peeter Urbla for Estonia's Exitfilm, and Mark Lwoff and Misha Jaari for Finland's Bufo. The project was also backed by the Estonian Film Institute, the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, the Finnish Film Foundation, Finland's pubcaster YLE and Eurimages. The movie is set to hit Estonian cinemas on 26 March and Finnish theatres on 27 March.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

Did you enjoy reading this article? Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive more stories like this directly in your inbox.

Privacy Policy