From Union to Union: early eurosceptics in Estonian animation

“Hotel E” dir. Priit Pärn + “Cabbage Head” and “Cabbage Head 2 or back to Europe” dir. Riho Unt

After the Soviet Union collapsed, Estonia tried to distance itself from the Russian sphere of influence and to associate itself as soon as possible with the network of Western European organisations and thus become part of Europe in practice. The application to join the European Union was created already in 1995, while Estonia became a member of the European Union only in 2004. In the same year, Estonia also became a full member of NATO.
However, the intervening ten-year transition period was marked by uncertainty and ignorance about the future. Although the official policy of the country was clearly aimed at the West, in the field of film, animation, interesting films came to be made, which took a rather sceptical or at least more ironic position.
Priit Pärna's "Hotel E" was completed already in 1992, one year after regaining independence, and is a good example of anarchism, because there was something unthinkable about Euroscepticism at that time. The film once again contrasts East and West, caricaturing both and not actually offering any specific solutions, which is what Estonian tragedy is all about, from a geographical point of view. The only choice is to pick a side.
This is followed by the hugely popular 1993 film "Cabbage Head" – an adaptation of two works by Oskar Luts – and the 1997 sequel film Kapsapea 2. Both are pure prank comedies, influenced by the foreign policy of that time.