Another View 2014 / Free Range / Ballaad maailma heakskiitmisest / Estonia 2013
Fred is an impetuous young journalist and budding writer for whom personal freedom is of the utmost importance. Then suddenly he is forced to think seriously about what to do with his life, and whether and how to accept an unexpected responsibility. Shot on 16mm and supplied with a fabulous retro soundtrack, the original Estonian filmmaker pays tribute to the films of the French New Wave.
Fred is an impetuous young journalist and budding writer for whom personal freedom is of the utmost importance. But when he gets fired from the newspaper for an out-of-line review of Malick’s The Tree of Life, and his girlfriend informs him that she is pregnant, Fred is forced to think seriously about what to do with his life. Should he accept the unexpected responsibility? Through his main character, the original Estonian filmmaker poses certain questions: to what extent are people dependent upon our predominantly consumer-oriented society, and is it possible – and at what cost – to maintain one’s freedom and independence? Although the story is set in the present, Veiko Õunpuu achieves a pleasant retro atmosphere by means of grainy 16 mm film and a fabulous soundtrack of 1970s songs. Given the hero’s rebellious look and demeanor, Free Range / Ballad on Approving of the World is clearly referencing and paying tribute to New Wave cinema.
104 min / Color, DCP
Director Veiko Õunpuu
/ Screenplay Veiko Õunpuu, Robert Kurvitz
/ Dir. of Photography Mart Taniel
/ Editor Liis Nimik
/ Producer Katrin Kissa
/ Production Homeless Bob Production
/ Cast Lauri Lagle, Jaanika Arum, Laura Peterson, Peeter Volkonski
/ Contact LevelK, Film Europe s.r.o.
/ Distributor Film Europe s.r.o.
Veiko Õunpuu (b. 1972, Saaremaal, Estonia) studied business management, literary theory and semiotics at Tallinn University, and painting at the Estonian Academy of Arts. In 2006 he shot the mid-length film Empty (Tühirand), which screened at numerous festivals. His feature debut Autumn Ball (Sügisball, 2007) took Best Film in the Orizzonti section at the Venice IFF. His second feature, the black-and-white parable The Temptation of St. Tony (2010), premiered in competition at Sundance and then hit the international festival circuit. At the Karlovy Vary IFF in 2010, the movie was awarded a Special Jury Mention in the East of the West competition. Free Range / Ballad on Approving of the World, the director’s third film, premiered in the Forum section at this year’s Berlinale.
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E-mail: [email protected]
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