Karu Süda - The Heart of the Bear

Colour, 35mm
Estonia, Czech Republic, Germany, Russia, 2001, 118 min
Section: East of the West

Synopsis

A young Estonian named Nika wants to escape his clichéd city life by setting out on an adventure to the Siberian taiga. He wants to become a hunter but in order to do so he’s got to learn to survive under extreme Siberian conditions, to withstand loneliness and to bear the burden of absolute freedom and taking responsibility for his actions. He finds help and understanding among the local native inhabitants, but his fate is most affected by the meeting of two incompatible worlds – that of the fragile teacher Guitya, whom he marries, and the wild bear woman to whom he draws closer during the inhospitable winter. The film was based on Estonian writer Nikolai Baturin’s novel of the same name.

About the director

Arvo Iho (b. 1949, Rakvere, Estonia) is a director, cameraman and producer. He graduated in anthropology from Montana State University and as a cameraman from Moscow’s VGIK film school. He then began working behind the lens, and in the mid-eighties independently directed features and documentaries (many were awarded at international festivals). He has also spent time as a photographer and teacher. “Making this film fulfilled a dream. But I’ve never made anything so terribly difficult before. After endless negotiations I was finally granted permission to shoot in the northern Urals. They are one of the last truly untouched places in Europe,” the director says. Filmography (selected): The Birdwatcher (1986), The Songs of Milarepa (l988), The Chronicle of Sireniki (l99O), Sister of Mercy (l99l), Children of the Russian Empire (l992), Winter in Lapland (l996).