The novel "Purge" (Puhdistus) by Fofi Oksanen, a Finnish writer with Estonian roots, merited many awards and passionate polemic, also found lively resonance in Estonia. A story with a strongly dramatical tissue observes events from Estonia’s near past (years 1936-1992).

Presented with one interval.
Running Time:

2:30

In the post-soviet Estonian coastal village two completely different women meet in the whirl of stormy events: a sixty-year-old Aliide and a young girl named Zara from Siberia but with Estonian roots. Both women have had contact with mental as well as physical violence at different times. The stories from the past gradually unfold before us and bring a family saga to light that has been kept as secret for a long time. In the background of revolutionary social occurrences important questions are raised about (forced) options and their hinterland. Is it possible to rectify the injustice done, to understand and to forgive – if the victim was just one person or an entire country?

"Purge" is brought on stage by director Liisa Smith who is an Estonian in origin and works in London; for her, it is the second production in Estonia and at the Vanemuine.