Remember your teen years? Remember the emotional trauma, the desire to be popular, the need to conform, the bullying? In Klass (2007), director Ilmar Raag and more than a dozen youthful actor-writers have created an Estonian indie masterpiece well deserving of its lofty 8.1 IMDb ranking.
Twenty year-old Pärt Uusberg (his first name is pronounced PAIRt) plays the role of Joosep, a bullying victim in an Estonian high school. Vallo Kirs, 19, plays Kaspar, the only classmate who comes to Joosep's aid. The two Estonian actors turn in emotional and intense performances given their ages and limited acting experience. While Joosep looks more like a kid who would be popular in school, his quiet, brooding nature well serves the role of a student victim. Kaspar's initially hesitant assistance to Joosep renders his role realistic as well. Picked on by his entire class, Joosep suffers primarily at the hands of class bully, Anders, played by Lauri Pedaja, 20. A hairdresser by profession, Lauri brings Anders to life as a classically insensitive, aggressive bully. If you went to high school, you probably knew someone like Anders.
As Joosep and Kaspar become closer, the bullying becomes increasingly violent and cruel, culminating in an act of forced sexual depravity that was filmed suggestively, but not graphically, just 100 meters south of the Stromka White House, a recreational facility on Stromka Beach in Tallinn. The horrendous abuse drives the boys to a vengeful and tragic decision that plays out in the brutal final scenes of the movie. The brilliance of Klass lies in the conflict the film creates, leaving the viewer torn between sympathy for its lead characters and revulsion for the choice they make.
My only complaint is the director's decision to divide the movie into chapters. The musical interludes associated with chapter changes interrupt the flow of the movie, and the chapter titles do nothing to advance viewer understanding or anticipation. This is a minor issue, however, and some may find the interruptions artistically attractive.
Amazingly, Klass has never been released in the United States, and the DVD is available only in PAL/Region 2 format at a pricey $24. DVD-Rom drives in American computers are set to play the NTSC/Region 1 disks commonly sold in North America, and the region settings can only be changed a very limited number of times (usually 4). Despite this, I was able to view the movie without changing my region settings by simply opening the disk in VLC, a popular freeware media viewer. I'm not sure if this will work for everyone.
I found Klass similar in mood, theme, and intensity to Mandragora, a 1997 Czech indie film that follows two boys as they are forced into a life of drugs and male prostitution in Prague. As between the two movies, however, I feel that viewers will identify far more readily with the painful experiences so ably depicted in Klass.
KEY FILMING LOCATIONS (GOOGLE EARTH COORDINATES):
1. SCHOOL: Scenes near Joosep and Kaspar's school were filmed in front of the Tallinna 32 Keskkool at 59 24 37.55 N 24 41 42.48 E. (The location is confirmed by comparing Street View with the scenes.)
2. WALK HOME: Joosep and Kaspar first talk while walking through a grassy power company easement. They walk past an electrical tower located at 59 24 46.64N 24 41 44.53 E. (The location is confirmed by comparing Street View with T-shaped vents and a tapered smokestack visible in the background of the scene.)
3. FIGHT SCENE: Joosep is beaten up by his classmates in the paved lot next to the Electrum Trading Company. The lot is located at 59 25 2.90 N 24 41 5.17 E. (The location is confirmed by the yellow building to the north, the grassy boundaries on the west and north sides of the lot, the white quonset hut to the south, the above-ground steam line to the south, and the small building to the southwest of the lot.)
4. FORCED SEX SCENE: The forced sex scene was filmed on Stroomi Beach at 59 26 30.60 N 24 41 0.09 E. (The location is confirmed by the unusual architecture of the Stromka White House visible in the background of the scene.)
Twenty year-old Pärt Uusberg (his first name is pronounced PAIRt) plays the role of Joosep, a bullying victim in an Estonian high school. Vallo Kirs, 19, plays Kaspar, the only classmate who comes to Joosep's aid. The two Estonian actors turn in emotional and intense performances given their ages and limited acting experience. While Joosep looks more like a kid who would be popular in school, his quiet, brooding nature well serves the role of a student victim. Kaspar's initially hesitant assistance to Joosep renders his role realistic as well. Picked on by his entire class, Joosep suffers primarily at the hands of class bully, Anders, played by Lauri Pedaja, 20. A hairdresser by profession, Lauri brings Anders to life as a classically insensitive, aggressive bully. If you went to high school, you probably knew someone like Anders.
As Joosep and Kaspar become closer, the bullying becomes increasingly violent and cruel, culminating in an act of forced sexual depravity that was filmed suggestively, but not graphically, just 100 meters south of the Stromka White House, a recreational facility on Stromka Beach in Tallinn. The horrendous abuse drives the boys to a vengeful and tragic decision that plays out in the brutal final scenes of the movie. The brilliance of Klass lies in the conflict the film creates, leaving the viewer torn between sympathy for its lead characters and revulsion for the choice they make.
My only complaint is the director's decision to divide the movie into chapters. The musical interludes associated with chapter changes interrupt the flow of the movie, and the chapter titles do nothing to advance viewer understanding or anticipation. This is a minor issue, however, and some may find the interruptions artistically attractive.
Amazingly, Klass has never been released in the United States, and the DVD is available only in PAL/Region 2 format at a pricey $24. DVD-Rom drives in American computers are set to play the NTSC/Region 1 disks commonly sold in North America, and the region settings can only be changed a very limited number of times (usually 4). Despite this, I was able to view the movie without changing my region settings by simply opening the disk in VLC, a popular freeware media viewer. I'm not sure if this will work for everyone.
I found Klass similar in mood, theme, and intensity to Mandragora, a 1997 Czech indie film that follows two boys as they are forced into a life of drugs and male prostitution in Prague. As between the two movies, however, I feel that viewers will identify far more readily with the painful experiences so ably depicted in Klass.
KEY FILMING LOCATIONS (GOOGLE EARTH COORDINATES):
1. SCHOOL: Scenes near Joosep and Kaspar's school were filmed in front of the Tallinna 32 Keskkool at 59 24 37.55 N 24 41 42.48 E. (The location is confirmed by comparing Street View with the scenes.)
2. WALK HOME: Joosep and Kaspar first talk while walking through a grassy power company easement. They walk past an electrical tower located at 59 24 46.64N 24 41 44.53 E. (The location is confirmed by comparing Street View with T-shaped vents and a tapered smokestack visible in the background of the scene.)
3. FIGHT SCENE: Joosep is beaten up by his classmates in the paved lot next to the Electrum Trading Company. The lot is located at 59 25 2.90 N 24 41 5.17 E. (The location is confirmed by the yellow building to the north, the grassy boundaries on the west and north sides of the lot, the white quonset hut to the south, the above-ground steam line to the south, and the small building to the southwest of the lot.)
4. FORCED SEX SCENE: The forced sex scene was filmed on Stroomi Beach at 59 26 30.60 N 24 41 0.09 E. (The location is confirmed by the unusual architecture of the Stromka White House visible in the background of the scene.)