St. John’s Day (2017)

Every bona fide Estonian has met the midsummer solistice on the island of Saaremaa - anyone who has not can’t possibly know what St. John’s celebration is truly about. On the day preceding the holiday, tens of thousands of people wait for hours in a queue that stretches for kilometers, in order to board the barge that will take them to the island.
The film portrays those who are impatiently waiting to leave the continent and the locals who will stay. The villagers cannot imagine life without the queue - they've grown up with it, some have made fortunes capitalizing on it, and to this day it offers an entertaining break from the daily grind for both young and old. Everyone’s here! For one day the entire nation is seemingly gathered in one place, only to disperse a moment later toward different Saaremaa bonfires. Comprised of perfect strangers, the long queue is a wholesome giant organism, with Estonia’s blood pumping through its veins.