Those Who Dare
The foreign minister of the tiny Icelandic nation fights for the independence of the Baltic states as they struggle to brake free from the USSR.
Three small nations by the Baltic Sea, then long forgotten in the minds of the West, were the first countries of the Soviet block to restore their independence as the USSR collapsed in 1991. Facing military suppression during their independence struggle and no support from the major democratic powers of the west, help came, unexpectedly, from two small nations: Iceland and Denmark.
An avid supporter of the Baltic states, Icelandic foreign minister Jon Baldvin Hannibalsson not only lent his voice to their cause in the international political arena to which the Baltic representatives were not admitted, - he also stood by their side in the streets of Vilnius when Soviet tanks invaded the Lithuanian capital. His struggle is at the core of this film, along with that of several individuals who carried the heaviest weight of bringing down the Soviet empire.
Three small nations by the Baltic Sea, then long forgotten in the minds of the West, were the first countries of the Soviet block to restore their independence as the USSR collapsed in 1991. Facing military suppression during their independence struggle and no support from the major democratic powers of the west, help came, unexpectedly, from two small nations: Iceland and Denmark.
An avid supporter of the Baltic states, Icelandic foreign minister Jon Baldvin Hannibalsson not only lent his voice to their cause in the international political arena to which the Baltic representatives were not admitted, - he also stood by their side in the streets of Vilnius when Soviet tanks invaded the Lithuanian capital. His struggle is at the core of this film, along with that of several individuals who carried the heaviest weight of bringing down the Soviet empire.
Stitches of Freedom
In the Western world, the late 1960s is an era of open minds, sexual freedom, anti-war sentiments, civil rights urgency and exploding creative spirit. Pockets of freedom emerge behind the Iron Curtain, too. In 1968, the short-lived Prague Spring brings a gulp of fresh air to Czechoslovakia, with people attempting to exert control over their lives and reform the Communist system. In the Soviet Union, the free-spirited and colourfully-clad flower children from various Soviet republics come to Riga to listen to Western music and escape the drabness imposed by the regime led by morose men in ill-fitting suits.
Inna, a young transgender person in Soviet Russia, can no longer suppress the inner imperative to free themselves from the foreign body in which they feel imprisoned, and on their quest for freedom, they set off for Riga. A famous and ambitious Latvian surgeon with extensive connections within the Soviet elite, after reading Inna's desperate letter addressed to him, takes on the unprecedented series of operations to change their gender and help "correct nature’s mistake," thereby creating Innokenty in place of Inna.
The film, using unique archive footage and creative reenactments, follows the stages of Inna's transformation – their journey to Riga, the surgeon's doubts and his sources of inspiration, the sexually-charged “tests” of Inna’s femininity, preparation for the series of operations, and the operations unfolding.
The film's narrator is Innokenty, who has since reached old age and, feeling the end of their life approaching, turns to their "creator" in another letter, seeking support in the final transformations of their life. They find themselves back where they started – a regime that does not recognize an individual’s freedom to be themselves. The bond between Innokenty and the surgeon has a lasting pull, hence the need for a final letter. This bond has survived changes in government, family and society, and, ultimately, the surgeon’s death.
Inna, a young transgender person in Soviet Russia, can no longer suppress the inner imperative to free themselves from the foreign body in which they feel imprisoned, and on their quest for freedom, they set off for Riga. A famous and ambitious Latvian surgeon with extensive connections within the Soviet elite, after reading Inna's desperate letter addressed to him, takes on the unprecedented series of operations to change their gender and help "correct nature’s mistake," thereby creating Innokenty in place of Inna.
The film, using unique archive footage and creative reenactments, follows the stages of Inna's transformation – their journey to Riga, the surgeon's doubts and his sources of inspiration, the sexually-charged “tests” of Inna’s femininity, preparation for the series of operations, and the operations unfolding.
The film's narrator is Innokenty, who has since reached old age and, feeling the end of their life approaching, turns to their "creator" in another letter, seeking support in the final transformations of their life. They find themselves back where they started – a regime that does not recognize an individual’s freedom to be themselves. The bond between Innokenty and the surgeon has a lasting pull, hence the need for a final letter. This bond has survived changes in government, family and society, and, ultimately, the surgeon’s death.