1944 (2015)

Directed by

Elmo Nüganen

Genre

war film

Country

Estonia, Finland

Runtime

1h 40m

Rated

16

Rating

6.9 of 10 from 115 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

Estonian men are forced to fight on opposite sides of World War Two as the German and Soviet armies clash over their homeland. The film shows soldiers on both sides of the conflict who are fighting not for ideology but for survival, knowing that defeat means being branded as traitors.

somberbleakintimategrittybroodingrestrainedrawpoignantvisceral

What happens

1944 is a 2015 Estonian war drama film directed by Elmo Nüganen. The film first premiered in February 2015 in Berlin, Germany, before its release in Estonia and other northern European countries. It was selected as the Estonian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards but it was not nominated. As the Soviet Union advances to recapture Estonia from its German occupiers, with huge losses on both sides, the film explores the mental conflicts of young Estonians who end up meeting on the battlefield to fight against each other. Some have volunteered or been conscripted into the German military, most with little commitment to the Nazi regime. Others have volunteered or been conscripted into the Soviet forces, again with little commitment to the Communist regime. Whichever side wins will regard the Estonians on the opposing side as traitors, liable to execution or deportation. Neither side offers the Estonians autonomy from foreign control. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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