Alyosha (2008)

After Estonia regained its independence in 1991, most of the Soviet monuments were taken down. The monument called the Bronze Soldier in the central Tallinn, however, remained to its place. People have called the monument "Alyosha" - the statue depicting a Red Army soldier was erected in 1947 in honour of the memory of Soviet soldiers killed in the World War II. For Estonian nationalists the monument was the symbol of Soviet occupation. For many Russian-speaking people, the Bronze Soldier was one of the few symbols left that connected them to Russia and Russian identity.
Excerpts of archival material tell about the history of the monument - film frames from 2005-2007 express the emotions, standpoints and events that led to the dislocation of the Bronze Soldier in April 2007 and the following Bronze Night, rioting and looting in Tallinn.