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EESTI ELU reedel, 5. augustil 2022 — Friday, August 5, 2022
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Kid’s Corner: Supilinna salaselts (The Secret Society of Souptown) Vincent Teetsov When looking for a movie to watch that is boundless in its antics, you can always depend on those made for kids. Stories that draw on memo ries of long summer days where you have nothing in particular to do, except to cruise around on your bike with friends. Stories of total freedom that never get old. It’s this kind of cinematic idealism that still makes me happy today. That’s something I found in Margus Paju’s film Supilinna salaselts. Originally released in 2015, it’s a family movie based on the books of FinnishEstonian author Mika Keränen. In the year of its release, the film won the Audience Award for Best Children’s Film at Zurich Film Festival and was nominated for the Estonian Film Award at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. Director Margus Paju is also known for his 2020 historical spy thriller O2 and his crime comedy short Kaastundeavaldus (My Con do lences). In this film, there are some cast crossovers from previous films of his, and Paju’s knack for action is ever-present, though it’s adjusted to family audiences. The story begins with a young girl, Mari (played by Olivia Viikant), and her friends attending a neighbourhood party in Tartu’s Supilinn. Together with her friends Sadu (Arabella Antons), Olav (Hugo Soosaar), and Anton (Karl Jakob Vibur), they seek out adventure and a way to stand up against their bullies in the form of a new club they call the Supilinna Salaselts. It doesn’t take long for their club to be put to the test. The party is a wholesome event, with lively music (including a performance by Svjata Vatra), a dramatic ballet performance, and punch. But then the punch is spiked with a potion by a sinister masked character. We are left to wonder where this villain came from. How ever, the effects of the potion soon become apparent – all the adults who drank the punch enter an altered psychological state where they act and think like children. Even the mayor ends up playing with paper boats in a puddle. It’s mayhem. While this outbreak de velops, Mari’s grandfather (charmingly played by the late Tiit Lilleorg) realizes that what’s happening may have to do with something his own father told him about as a little boy. Upon paying a visit to her grandfather, Mari finds that he has been attacked by the per petrator of the punch incident. Before he slips into the child like curse, he gives her an old notebook and tells her what has
happened. Mari and her friends must strike up the courage to find the antidote to the potion within 48 hours, to save the adults of Tartu. High stakes and obstacles are set up early in the movie. The kids who bully Mari and her three friends are given a strong position as antagonists when the lead bully, Leo, is coerced by the masked figure into locating Mari’s grandfather’s notebook, which has infor mation on the antidote. Mari’s mother and father, who didn’t end up drinking the punch, don’t believe in the curse and try to stop her and her friend’s mission. And with very believable, funny, and sincere performances from the talented young actresses and actors in this movie, viewers will be genuinely concerned about the fate of the protago nists. There is good pacing in the way action is packed into the story, as the characters tour through many different loca tions in Tartu. The kids sneak into an archive to find answers and solutions about who made the poison and where the anti dote can be found. They go up the clock tower of Tartu’s town hall. They enter a foggy grave yard to open up a dusty old tomb. Some scenes are reminis cent of nostalgic moments from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade or John Bellairs’ book, The House with a Clock in Its Walls. But even with lots of action, the storytelling is never dizzying or unfocused. Rather, we are there with the characters on this desperate mission, screeching around on a bike, with Tartu, in all its sum mer glory, zipping past us. The kids are heroes, and the parents are unable to do much to get in their way... Which is highly convenient for the storyline! There’s a dash of absurd humour based around the per sonalities of adults; namely, a scene when Sadu’s parents are playing and the dad (portrayed by Kaido Höövelson) tries to eat a ball. Overall, the kids know what’s going on more than anyone else in the film. Thankfully, it’s a story that relies most of all on its story and character development, which gives purpose to cos tumes, art direction, and special effects. The film’s visuals are also energized with mood-build ing music that includes marim ba, oboe, flute, strings, horns, and a closing song by Silver Sepp and Curly Strings. The film, which is one hour and 44 minutes long, is avail able for purchase and rental on iTunes, and there are options online to watch with English subtitles. Young kids and parents alike will get something from this rollicking, funny adventure movie, while enjoy ing some sunny scenes of Tartu.
Tech startup… (Continued from page 10)
Photo: imdb.com
Education minister: Dominance of Russian, English in schools needs revision ERR, Janek Luts, Marju Himma, August 2022 Education minister Tõnis Lukas (Isamaa) has criticized the dominance of Russian as the primary foreign language in Estonian schools, calling the situation ‘abnormal’ and the result of force of habit rather than necessity. The changed security situa tion in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine from February 24 has in particular caused the teaching of Russian in schools to come under scruti ny. Speaking to Vikerraadio show “Vikerhommik” Wednes day, Lukas said: “The domi nance of the Russian language in Estonia as a ‘B’ language is not normal. It can be observed that, for instance, Russian tourists can also speak English, since it is the number one foreign lan guage in Russia, so they will not be left without communica tion options here.” Lukas told “Vikerhommik” that the Estonian education sys tem had hitherto been simplistic in that English is the dominant, “A” foreign language, with Russian following close behind as the “B” option – this should be changed in both cases, he added, listing French and German as possible alternatives. “When it comes to the role of the Russian language, it seems rather accepted that the schools are used to offering it. They have available Russian language teachers who need a workload, while smaller schools have not been able to recruit German or French teachers at the same time,” he went on. Schools should find solutions in line with the wishes of parents, he added, and could offer students a wider range of language courses accordingly. At the same time, de-empha sizing Russian language will
not change anything substan tively for schoolchildren, Lukas thinks, as the idea that the Russian language is necessary in order to get by in Estonia is simply one which has been created. “Within Tallinn city govern ment’s service system, based on this idea, they have started to require Russian language skills from job applicants, but no where is it stipulated that this should be the case,” Lukas said by way of example. Lukas, who became minister last month, also stressed that languages were not being politi cized or weaponized. He said: “Language itself is not to blame for anything; we are not at war against any languages. It is simply the case that there should be a wider choice available and we should ensure children do not simply stick to one or two languages, so our society does not develop the opinion that these languages are now somehow so critical that we cannot make do without them. This is how we make the world a much poorer place for ourselves.” In many schools in Estonia, pupils can choose Russian as a foreign language from 6th grade, though in some cases it can be studied earlier. The cur rent invasion of Ukraine has led to many parents expressing a reluctance towards their child studying the language, however. The argument that Russian language teachers are easier to find and therefore the language should be provided more fre quently is not overly compel ling, Lukas added, while, as a “much easier” language, Lukas said, English can be relegated from its current “A” position also, not least given its ubiquity. This could make way for other foreign languages such as French or German.
“your local neighbourhood billionaire living down the street, buying milk.” This proxi mity can change one’s mindset and prompt desire and action. For anyone curious about a career in IT, or in starting their own company, he suggests “learning some kind of robust skill, gaining some kind of ob jectively valuable experience... We came up with a specific idea for Klaus four or five years ago, but it’s based on a career that yielded some experiences, from which this idea could come from. Don’t worry about the specifics. Develop skills and experiences that will be valu able in the general direction that you would like to go in.” This can be coding, or some thing not technical at all. How ever, Kõiva notes that working at a company that is on the cutting edge is a smart strategy, “because you get a shortcut to the cutting edge, from which you can go and do your own thing...” If you base a startup on something you have experience with, in a field that has frustrat ing challenges to be solved, then you’ll have more con fidence and credibility. I joked with Kõiva that it seemed like the tech world isn’t like a Hollywood movie after all. “Sometimes it is,” he said. There’s plenty of action, it just takes a lot longer than 100 minutes to see it through.
Volunteers all over Estonia make camouflage netting for Ukraine On Saturday, camouflage net ting to be sent to Ukraine was made at the Viljandi Folk Music Festival. Volunteers all over Estonia have made over 8,000 square meters of camouflage netting for Ukrainian defenders follow ing the initiative of NGO Aitan Kaitsa (I Help Defend). The nets are made also at the Viljandi Folk Music festival this weekend. “There are plenty of volun teers and they last us until late in the evening. But we still invite everyone to come and join us,” said Ingrid Uus, a handicraft maker from Viljandi. “I read about it in the festival brochure, and it seemed excit ing that an opportunity to help has been brought so close,” Merlin Jõulu, a volunteer help ing to make the nets, said. “It is quite horrifying to think that we’re celebrating, while some thing far worse is happening elsewhere,” she remarked. “We have not made a big deal out of this because we were told to, nor have we forced anyone to participate. It is a voluntary initiative, and people who feel they have not done enough yet, have the opportunity to do just that to day,” said Anu Lensment, head of NGO Aitan Kaitsta. (ERR)
