14 Cases

Film follows different age present-day Estonian Russians who are facing difficulties with their identities.

14 CASES is a feature documentary film targeted for international audience taking a fresh look at the present-day Russians living in Estonia. It is a character driven story and it focuses on personal stories of born in Estonia young people who are the descendants of migrants from the Soviet era, representing almost the third generation. Although they lived their whole life surrounded by Estonian national symbols and colours, lifestyle and cuisine, they still speak Russian as their mother tongue, got secondary education in Russian language, listen and watch Russian radio and television, and gravitate towards Russian culture. They feel belonging to the history of Russia and Russian consciousness.

But Baltic Russian is not something solid and single. Many Baltics Russians associate themselves with the Russian nationality, while at the same time they are Estonian citizens. Some of them face an identity crisis: a conflict of national identity with civil identity. But most of Baltic Russians feel an awareness of difference, the recognition of being not fully integrated into the society. A lot of Russian high school graduates leave country to study abroad and never return. At the same time there are also those who feel obsessed with languages and mislead by pro-Russia politics but love and prefer to live in Estonia.

Almost for four years the film crew followed several Russian-speaking families in a decision-making period. All of them were facing the difficult task – to determine their own or their kids future. According to the age the choices differed. For the parents of five-year-olds – it is not an easy choice of kindergarten, either Estonian or Russian. For the family whose 12-year old son suddenly decides to change the school to Estonian – the question of his established identity which doesn’t well match with boy’s new schoolmates’; for the high-school graduates, the question either to stay or to leave Estonia.