Director Eeva Mägi, who is a famous Estonian writer, recently made ‘Mo Papa,’ which premiered at the 29th edition of the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, famously known as the PÖFF, which is, by the way, an unscripted drama that explores the long shadows of childhood trauma, incarceration, and redemption. We get to see that the film apparently follows Eugen, who is a 28-year-old man released from prison after serving ten years for accidentally killing his younger brother. The movie shows us the aftermath of his return to a world that has moved on without him. By the time he steps outside of the prison, all we can understand is his desperate plea to seek forgiveness and stability while haunted by abandonment and loss.
We learn that the movie stars big names such as Jarmo Reha, Ester Kuntu, Rednar Annus, and Paul Abiline, as the viewer witnesses the film opening the festival’s Critics’ Picks lineup. It is revealed that PÖFF describes it as “a deeply human story about the scars we carry, the people we push away, and the redemption we crave.” Mägi also wrote and produced the project, collaborating with cinematographer Sten-Johan Lill, production designer Allan Appelberg, editor Jette-Krõõt Keedus, and composer Tanel Kadalipp. As per the reports, it is said that the film is set to have its international premiere at the Torino Film Festival later this month.
It is a Story that is Born from Real Experience
It becomes evident that the movie has a grim portrayal of trauma and how it affects an individual. The creator explains that her interest in cycles of deep-seated pain dates back to her early twenties, when she worked in a psychiatric clinic. “I saw so many people trapped in inherited trauma they couldn’t escape,” she recalls. “Children and adults who had been abandoned from birth. It was overwhelming, but it stayed with me.”
We as an audience realize as we find out that experience, combined with her fascination with ancient myths and modern tragedy, eventually shaped Mo Papa. “I was researching the story of Kronos and Uranos, a father-son myth about violence and inheritance. Around the same time, I read an article about a son who killed his father because of a broken upbringing. These ideas kept overlapping until they formed the foundation for the film.”
The project began informally, as Mägi and actor Jarmo Reha were discussing ideas in a wine bar when the character of Eugen took shape, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Fans who are familiar with her previous film, Mo Mamma, know that Mägi shot Mo Papa without a traditional screenplay. This movie is completely unscripted, stating that she kept small notes during filming to remember her thoughts that she had in her mind while making the film.
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Living Inside the Characters
Because the film was improvised, it’s made clear that emotions ran high on set. Mägi recalls one particularly intense scene in which all of the movie’s characters visit a psychiatric clinic, and none of them could stop crying after the scene was shot. Honestly, it becomes evident that all the characters were so immersed in their roles that it became hard to return to reality.
Although not a trilogy in the strictest sense, as stated earlier, Mo Papa follows Mägi’s earlier work, ‘Mo Mamma,’ and will be joined by ‘Mo Amor,’ which stars the same actors. It’s made clear that these three films share themes of love, loss, and survival.
And after completing Mo Papa, the creator Mägi has already begun developing a new project titled Mo Hunt, which is based on a ballerina who decides to become an illegal surrogate for a lonely priest.
As fans of her work, we inevitably reflect on her creative philosophy as viewers, somewhere down the line, because Mägi says she is grateful for the freedom that working without scripts or large budgets allows. And when we think about it, we realize that the upcoming films, which center on the idea of not following the script, like she did in the majority of her projects, will likely be uncertain in nature, but they will be something that every viewer will discuss for years to come.
