Cohabitants

Most people living on the Estonian island Piirissaar are of Russian origin. The original inhabitants fled Russia around 300 years ago to escape reforms in the Russian Orthodox Church and to escape the draft. Their descendants still cherish their Russian roots. This tiny island with just a hundred inhabitants lies in a lake right next to the Russian border.

With calm, contemplative shots of the landscape and local people, the Latvian director captures the Estonian and Russian elements that are part of daily life on the island. We see a wedding celebration sprinkled with vodka and traditional customs, people tending graves at neighboring Lutheran and Orthodox cemeteries and men enjoying a sauna.

Two senior inhabitants offer insights into the past and their vision of the future, with reference to contemporary Russia and its invasion of Ukraine. A poetic appeal for the harmonious coexistence of two cultures.