Burning Cities

Opening up about her family history, Tiina revisits the first two decades of her life following World War II, in Tartu, Estonia. The city, destroyed by Nazi invasion then rebuilt and re-mapped by the Soviets, is home to many secrets, and little Tiina knows them all, even if she does not know their import. The adult world that makes up Communist society is one of cryptic conversations, dread, and heavy drinking. From the death of Stalin to the gradual separation of her parents, Tiina experiences both domestic and great events from the periphery, and is powerless to prevent the defining tragedy in her life a suicide in the family.