VÕTA VÕI JÄTA

Until now, the 30-year-old Estonian had kept his head above water with work on Finland's construction sites and got involved in fights at night. Now, he has to adjust to his role as a single father. Suspiciously watched by his own mother, the only man at parent-child gymnastics and an outsider at parties, he is forced to take on responsibility for his daughter overnight.

TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT was submitted by Estonia to the Oscars in the category for "Best Foreign Language Film". The film is a movingly narrated social drama in which Liina Trishkina-Vanhatalo's documentary origins can be seen in every scene through the authentic character descriptions that are captured with a handheld camera. In addition, the narrative opens up to a wider context when the discussion turns to Estonia's position as an underdog vis-à-vis rich Finland where one goes to earn money, but then has less time to spend with one's own family at home. RB