Sundial

In the mists of the Estonian countryside, a young man strolls across the moor, quietly building a brush fire. A horse stands still in the snow, seemingly waiting for winter to pass, while children on skis play in the woods. People and animals appear to live in harmony with their environment. Each house Liis Nimik enters is a warm, comforting home where inhabitants of all ages naturally go about their business. When making this film, the director spent seven years exploring the rural life of her country in order to meet the people who have chosen to carve out an existence on the fringes of modernity, far removed from the chaos of the world. She captures them in all their simplicity, filming in 16 mm to create an image that underscores their gentle way of life. She also endeavours to reinstate the hearth fire—the upkeep of which is a result of a seamless coexistence between people and elements—as the central feature of the home. Here, people’s ordinary lives suddenly become extraordinary, through the depth of their powerful bonds with nature.
Madeline Robert