On April 24, the Estonian Film and Television Awards were presented for the tenth time. The best documentary film of last year was “The Tower” – a story about longing, the loss of love, and the silence that shapes human relationships.
The EFTA award for Best Film Composer was also given to Erki Pärnoja for the music written for the film.
By a twist of fate, Kalju is a solitary man whose wife once left him and took their 4-year-old daughter away. For decades, he has lived deep in the forests of southern Estonia, on top of a high hill. As if serving a punishment, he tirelessly carries long logs and heavy stones up the hill in a Sisyphean manner, obsessed with building a tower so he can see and be seen.
Although Kalju appears accustomed to his routine and lonely life, inside he still longs to find someone by his side. He corresponds with many women and even tries attending parties to find a companion, but somehow he never succeeds in finding the right partner.
When Kalju receives a call from his daughter with the news that he has become a grandfather, he feels a new excitement mixed with fear. Should he meet his daughter again? What emotions will it awaken? How can he be a grandfather when he was never able to be a father? For the first time in his life, Kalju revisits his old diaries and recordings to understand what might have gone wrong 30 years ago.
Genre: documentary, portrait film
Duration: 87 minutes
Language: Estonian
Subtitles: English
Director: Kullar Viimne
Cinematographer: Kullar Viimne
Editors: Erik Norkroos, Mirjam Jegorov
Composer: Erki Pärnoja
Sound Designer: Harmo Kallaste
Producer: Erik Norkroos
Production Company: Rühm Pluss Null
Kai Art Center • Peetri tänav 12, 10415 Tallinn, Harju maakond, Estonia
