Simeoni Sundja

"8 views" is an eastern art tradition where one place (primarily the area around Lake Biwa in Japan) is described through eight motifs, among which are scarlet, snow, sailboats returning home in the evening, rain, autumn moon, temple bell, gust of wind, flight of forest geese. These motifs frame eight intertwining tragic love stories, the setting of which are modern Russian fishing villages of old believers on the border of Estonian-Russian settlements and cultures by Lake Peipsi. The spiritualization of everything living and inanimate from Japanese animism, the eroticism of shunga and the humble language of prayer merge into a spiritual and magical world of a small community, where one still believes that one is connected with everything.

Melchior’s bride Keterlyn happens to witness an attack on a young man. He has lost his memory and doesn’t know who he is or where’s he from. The only clue is a strange partial letter found on him that warns of grave danger. Melchior’s attempts to understand the circumstances of the young man’s memory loss lead him to uncover a hidden dead body. The partial letter gives Melchior an idea how to lure the killer into a trap... but this time the danger comes too close to home.

In the middle of the night, a drunk town guard happens to meet the daughter of a rich merchant… who drowned herself into a well 10 years ago. Soon after the town guard falls dead from the tower. This is followed by two other suspicious deaths. Doubting the existence of the ghost, Melchior has a hunch that these ‘accidents’ are part of a heinous crime. Tracking down the killer, his path will cross with heretics, old feuds and dark family secrets.

A young woman finds herself struggling to maintain her mental health and grounded family life on a rural Dutch island when her capricious, city-dwelling thespian mother falls incurably ill and expects her increasingly regular company and assistance.

Estonia, 1872. The uncompromising new owner of Robber's Rise must battle with hard work, his spiteful neighbor and with his own family and beliefs to transform the poor land into a flourishing farm of his dreams.