Scanialara You won't be disappointed!

Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

Janae Milner Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

MartinHafer This is a film about Estonian independence that occurred in the late 1980s and early 1990s--as the Communist Bloc began to fall apart. It's actually odd that very few films about this period are ever seen in the US--especially considering this meant an end to the very long and tense Cold War.The film begins with a history of Estonia in the 20th century. After gaining its independence following WWI, the country was at peace--that is until the evil pact between the USSR and Nazi Germany. This agreement allowed Stalin to invade and a period of very intense persecutions began. Deportations to Siberia and mass occurred to break the back of the country. Then, two years later, Germans invaded and occupied this tiny country. And, towards the end of the war, the Soviets returned and very harsh repression returned. For the next 45 years or so, the nation would have all symbols of nationalism removed and a strong move to turn the citizens into Soviet citizens began. Despite this, there was a very, very small and quiet sense that Estonia would one day rise again. With a slight easing of free speech rights during the rule of Gorbachev, these hidden desires began to slowly be expressed. Much of the film consists of showing the steps that occurred with these first murmurs for freedom to the actual declaration of independence.So how did singing come into all this? Well, at times the link was rather tenuous in the film. It seems that the earliest forms of protest (even before Gorbachev) was in the nation's singing festivals--and there the people sang nationalistic songs which had been forbidden. And, on one occasion, one out of every three Estonians appeared at the festival to sing--something that is pretty hard to comprehend when you think about it.All in all, a very inspiring documentary about freedom and bravery. Considering that a huge percentage of the nation had been murdered or deported during the Soviet era (about 1/3 of the nation), the fact that they stood up for freedom is all the more impressive.The film is super-inspiring. It was narrated by Linda Hunt, but mostly is consists of Estonians talking on camera about the singing revolution--and this is most fitting. Additionally, archival footage and footage of Estonia today is used to tell this very touching story. The most important part, however, is at the very end--when a brief biographical statement is given for those who participated in the film--and their sacrifices.

Tom H. Richardson Between Nazi occupation and decades of Soviet occupation, the Estonians had no weapons with which to resist the Soviet Army. Yet they didn't quit.Two incidents from the movie got me very emotional-- The first was when a crowd from the Russian ethnic minority (who acted like aristocrats within Soviet Estonia and the Estonians should kiss their necks) stormed a government building. This Russian mob was intent on going in and grabbing the leaders of the Estonia-Independence movement. Then an Estonian man got on the radio, throngs of Estonians came, and suddenly the Russians found themselves completely surrounded. Both sides were expecting fighting to break out, and both sides knew that the Soviet Army would use this as an excuse to attack Estonians. But then the Estonian crowd pulled apart, forming a road, and the Russians were able to leave unmolested.The second incident that moved me deeply was when Soviet troops moved into Estonia, and they were trying to attack a TV tower. Estonians showed up, linking arms, and faced the Russian tanks. The Estonians knew that if the tanks rolled, or the Russians' machine guns fired, that they would die painfully -- and yet they filled up the road to the TV tower, and stared into the faces of the Russian tankmen. That is BRAVE.This is a feel-good movie, and it's all 100 percent true. See it, and tell your friends to rent it.

rvenezia I rented this documentary from Netflix not expecting a whole lot, but I was so wrong and it was so well done and deserved more recognition and praise. This movie is a very moving documentary that shows how little Estonia defied the Soviet Union by singing. The Singing Revolution tells the true story how Estonia through song got their independence from the Soviet Union.Now the questions must be asked how is this possible, how can singing change the world, well Estonia can show you how. Using music and interviews this documentary is a good view from anyone who loves a good and inspiring story.

J. Neil Schulman I'll never understood why crimes against humanity committed by Nazi Germany have always garnered more attention from filmmakers than crimes against humanity committed by the Soviet Union, but they have. What makes The Singing Revolution an important and unique addition to the filmography of oppression and liberation is that Estonia was the ball in a lethal game of football between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, and this documentary shows how the only difference between these two evil empires was that the Nazis could only attempt to annihilate the Estonian nation for a few years while the Soviets were at it for decades. The end credits alone -- where one reads about a survivor of two years in a Nazi concentration camp and eight years in a Soviet gulag -- would be sufficient reason to watch this film. But, of course, it is much more than that.The Singing Revolution documents the indomitable human spirit. A people deprived of arms, deprived of freedom, and subjected to a series of ruthless occupations with the purpose of enslaving their people, stealing their natural resources, and brainwashing their children into forgetting their rich national history and culture -- nevertheless find a way to hold on to their identity through songs. The Estonians rebel against their Soviet masters without firing a shot, driving a truck filled with explosives into a building, walking into a crowded restaurant and setting off an explosive belt strapped to one's chest, dynamiting a hotel quartering enemy soldiers, assassinating a dignitary, kidnapping officials and demanding release of prisoners, or even pouring gasoline on themselves and lighting a match or engaging in a hunger strike.And the Soviet enemy occupying Estonia had no tradition of freedom or none of the Christian morality the British Empire had when Gandhi went up against them in the struggle for India's independence.After seeing Defiance a few months ago I was fascinated by the parallels between Jews hiding in the woods to fight the Nazis and Estonians hiding in the woods to fight the Soviets.The Framers of the American system of government were wise enough to include the right of the people to keep and bear arms as a means of preserving our freedoms against both domestic tyranny and foreign invasion. One civil war was enough to convince any future tyrant of the Pyrrhic victory that awaited them even if they should prevail on the battlefield.But The Singing Revolution is nonetheless inspiring to me by showing that even under circumstances when a people suffer defeat by overwhelming forces hope can be preserved, and even music can be a weapon in the arsenal of freedom.