Estonian film classics at Kai cinema: "The Ideal Landscape"

Genre: drama with earthy humour
Running time: 1h 31min

Director: Peeter Simm (1953–2026)
Cast: Arvo Kukumägi, Tõnu Kark, Kalju Komissarov, Priit Adamson and others
In Estonian with English subtitles

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Saturday’s highlight in Kai Cinema’s two-day special programme “Estonian Film Classics: Simm & Kruusement” is Peeter Simm’s masterpiece Ideal Landscape (Ideaalmaastik, 1980). Although it was Simm’s feature debut, critics have called it one of the best Estonian films of all time.

 

Before the screening, Eva Näripea, Director of the Film Archive, will talk about the background of the films and their significance in Estonian film history. Be sure to arrive early: the introduction starts at 15:45 and is in Estonian.

 

The film is set in an Estonian village during the spring sowing season in the 1950s, in the early years of the collective farm system. It follows Mait Kukemerd, a young and idealistic Komsomol commissioner who arrives in the countryside with a clear task: to make sure the sowing goes according to plan, whatever the cost. On the ground, his fanatical enthusiasm collides with peasant wisdom, local resistance and harsh reality. In a tragicomic key, Simm weaves together subtle humour and drama, creating a deeply humanist and true-to-life portrait of the society of the time.

 

PROGRAM
Saturday, 24 October: Peeter Simm

  • 14:00 – Arabella, the Pirate’s Daughter (1982) (Special price!)
  • 15:45 – Introduction to the evening: Eva Näripea (Director of the Film Archive)
  • 16:00 – Ideal Landscape (1980)
  • 18:00 – Georg (2007)

Sunday, 25 October: Arvo Kruusement

  • 13:45 – Introduction to the day: Annika Koppel (film critic and author)
  • 14:00 – Spring (1969) (Special price!)
  • 16:00 – Don Juan in Tallinn (1971)
  • 18:00 – A Woman Heats the Sauna (1978)

More about the programme: kai.center

TICKETS AND PASSES
For the best value, we recommend a day pass or a pass for the full programme.

Kai Cinema