Revolution of Pigs

Revolution of Pigs

(Sigade revolutsioon), J. Kilmi - R. Reinumägi / EST - FIN, 2004
Estonian version / English subtitles, 98 min

Rooted in the memories and longings of its two directors and fueled by a soundtrack of classic pop, this exuberant look at youthful rebellion is set in 1986. In those days, the Estonian student summer brigades provided an annual rite of passage, during which hundreds of teens suffered through three days of camping and group activities. At night, they secretly released their repressed energy in disco and sexual exploration. However, Estonia in the mid-80s was a totalitarian state and the brigades were also used as a recruiting ground for the Russian army, then in desperate need of young bodies to fight its war in Afghanistan. When the counselors crack down on the campers, a group of dissenters performs a play called "Something's Rotten in our Country", setting the stage for a mass protest which quickly escalates out of control.