1973, the Soviet Union. On the border between Russia and China, border guard Rafael is beaten up in an attack by three kung fu masters and loses his boombox. Later, as a civilian, he has regained his self-esteem: he is good at his job as a car mechanic, is passionate about kung fu, and is the best dancer at every disco (not even Jimmy from Disco Dancer (1982) can keep up with him). He soon learns that the monks in an Orthodox monastery practise the martial art that he loves. Renouncing the temptations of secular life and his budding relationship with Rita, he joins their ranks. The film does not end there — as the Western pop song goes: the struggle with oneself is just beginning.

What if Estonian director Rainer Sarnet (RIGA IFF winner November, 2017) woke up one morning feeling like Tarantino? What if during a séance he found himself in the Soviet Era of Stagnation and met Bruce Lee on the border? Perhaps he did find Ang Lee within himself and was able to transport the majestic scene of levitating warriors in a bamboo forest to Estonia. The festival has no information on what actually transpired, but the award-winning director has created a chaotically appealing kung fu film, charged with Estonian restraint, about the fractured nature of Homo sovieticus and pop culture’s ability to save — as corny as it may sound — the soul of an unfree man. The film, which is co-produced by Latvian studio White Picture, offers a series of martial arts scenes, peacocks running around a yard, a flirtation with colonial codes, a broken arm, a fatal love affair, elements of a medley, and a deeply unserious contemplation on the absurdity of life.