Saar

Off the coast of Estonia, the remote island Vilsandi is located. Its seven inhabitants, including documentary filmmaker Jaan Tätte himself, and their seven children have learned to withstand the sometimes harsh weather conditions. The documentary maker followed the islanders for one year, but the film is presented as one day of their lives. That is why the seasons change within this ‘cinematographic day‘: it is summer when shopkeeper Tormis takes his boat to the mainland, and New Year’s Eve when he returns. True to tradition, the residents observe their New Year celebrations in the woods, but soon it turns out that everybody has forgotten his watch. Time elapses differently on the island. One of the islanders once said to the filmmaker: ‘I always have to find something to keep myself busy.‘ So, the people chase away boredom by brewing beer and by carrying out mysterious measurements in the forest and futile repairs to the lighthouse.