The movie is nice, if you want to give it a credit just because it is one of the rare chances to see Estonian cinema. It is touching and somewhat sentimental, though the director managed to avoid too cheesy holliwoodish scene. The main plus is the touching feeling it evokes when you think about those young lads who got in the civil war and have to fight the outnumbering enemy. There is a love story, beautiful girl, but nothing really happens. There is a token brother-against-brother theme, that is supposed to show the brutal nature of the civil war. There are battle scenes, but the main battle scene against Latvians is too over dramatized and extremely unrealistic. In general, it's OK if you don't start thinking how in reality those battles would be possible. If you start thinking it seems extremely surrealistic and devoid of any resemblance of what the battle would be in the real war. Thus, some 10 young students lying in the half trench seem to stop the whole company of mighty Latvian Reds (those guys hugely contributed to the victory of REds in Russia). The movie ends abruptly, and you have a feeling that something is missing. As for historical part, it's interesting that most Estonian/Finnish spectators immediately see it as us (Estonians) fighting them (Evil Russians). The movie itself doesn't really show much Russians. Most Reds are actually Estonian. Another thing is that the Civil war in Estonia (and Finland) is often presented as Liberation war, while in fact it was a Civil war. Russians played a minor role in both countries. And it was a part of one giant civil war going on in the whole disintegrating Russian empire with Reds fighting Whites. So the words appearing in the beginning of the movie and saying that Soviet Russia wanted to establish itself as a European power (implying that Soviet Russia invaded Estonia) have more to do with current Estonian political situation than with the history.

A story of Estonian high school students who volunteer to defend their country from the Bolshevik invasion in 1918. The only reason to give this film 7 stars is the Estonian film industry context. For Estonia, this film is truly great. Not only it covers previously poorly presented (in the visual art) part of this country's history, it also is very well made camera work wise and the action scenes are done properly. But the director perhaps could have swapped some of the pathetic patriotism (obviously borrowed from the book the film is based on) for real-life attitude. I'll never believe that 17-year-old boys will be that desperately willing to sacrifice their lives and virtually act as if they long for the Red Army bullets. Natural human fear of death is what makes any war scene so much more realistic.

At the beginning, when boys are in the classroom, discussing the war (is it right or not, should they join or not, on who`s side to go), one of the boys writes down the names who are in the classroom. During war several of the boys die, Ahas (Võigemast) escapes in lucky way: as he changes his coat on his girlfriend`s fathers coat, he goes to camp and the Germans take him for Lithuanian as he speaks proper russian.When the war ends, one schoolboy enters the classroom and the names written at the classboard are still there, as no-one ever erased them, (I think the boys left straight in the war without having a lesson)...

This is the best movie I have ever seen. It's full of action and romance. It's not a bloody war movie, it has got style. The best character is Alo Kõrve's Käsper, because he's the bravest. Actually, there isn't a bad character/actor/actress in this movie. They all have their little stories that doesn't always end happily. If you are tired of all those Hollywood horrible war movies, watch this one and you will see that there are good war movies.10 out of 10 points.