‘Kalev’, a film about sports? Not really

It was the summer of 1990. Was it realistic to expect a massive change with the Soviet Union? Yes. Was it equally reasonable to expect Estonia’s ‘Kalev’ to win the Soviet basketball championship? Probably not.

Part of Estonia’s international reputation is tied to the ‘Singing Revolution’ of 1988. It’s been a metaphor for determination, an inbred trait that unified Estonians during the years before the collapse of the Soviet Union. It framed a classic David-Goliath scenario.