East of the West - Competition 2017 / Keti lõpp / Estonia 2017
Have you ever had a bad day? Well, it would be difficult to top the catastrophe facing a waitress at a fast-food outlet, where people come not for a quick meal but simply to have a good cry. This high-spirited comedy, about the worst that can happen when you’re slaving from dawn to dusk, also examines existential dilemmas, unconcealed selfishness, and the essential desire for compassion.
A dreary morning at a fast-food restaurant with not a soul in sight – it bodes nothing good. An idea for a cultural interlude that would liven up the place turns tragic, foreshadowing the atmosphere of the entire day. The fact is, everyone who arrives, instead of ordering a burger, tries to involve the nice waitress in the kind of trouble it’s best not even to know about. On top of that, a visit from her parents, who are disappointed by their daughter’s dead-end life, only brings on greater bitterness, while an obliging philosopher sums up her job concisely: a pointless activity that obviates the need for a brain. Can such a day ever turn out well? The Estonian director’s lightly humorous debut, based on the play of the same name by Paavo Piik, draws upon the unfortunately true saying that misery loves company. The simple starting premise and the use of virtually only a single location required great inventiveness from the director, which he employs to punctuate the story with humour. The fluid camera drifting through the interior of the neon restaurant and the solid electronic soundtrack take us on a stylish ride to the depths of a lovelorn soul.
Kamila Dolotina
81 min / Color, DCP
World premiere
Director Priit Pääsuke
/ Screenplay Paavo Piik, based on his stage play of the same name / na motivy své stejnojmenné divadelní hry
/ Dir. of Photography Meelis Veeremets
/ Music Rainer Jancis, Ann Reimann
/ Editor Valter Nõmm, Priit Pääsuke
/ Art Director Eugen Tamberg
/ Producer Marianne Ostrat
/ Production Alexandra Film
/ Coproduction Luxfilm, Filmivabrik, Angel Films, Cineunit, 1Agentuur
/ Cast Maiken Schmidt, Hendrik Toompere jr
/ Contact Alexandra Film
Priit Pääsuke (b. 1975, Tallinn, Estonia, USSR) studied natural sciences at the University of Tartu before falling for film. After graduating in direction in his hometown, he and some classmates founded Luxfilm productions; there he takes on editing, sound, production, screenwriting, and directing duties. In addition, he has shot a number of commercials, and this year he debuted in theater direction with an adaptation of Woody Allen’s one-act play Riverside Drive. After the successful short Black Peter (Must Peeter, 2008), which toured over 20 festivals, he co-directed an hour-long documentary in 2015 entitled Impromptu, about experimental musicians and their place in the music world. His feature debut The End of the Chain is a refreshing and entertaining picture about a very long, ill-fated day.
Alexandra Film
Tuvi 16-3, 10119, Tallinn
Estonia
Phone: +372 523 3577
E-mail: [email protected]
Priit Pääsuke
Film Director, Producer
Maiken Schmidt
Actress
Marianne Ostrat
Producer
Hendrik Toompere
Actor
Meelis Veeremets
Director of Photography
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