Beatrice
Date:
December 15, 2022
Beatrice
Beatrice
by Vallo Toomla
Stellar Film | Estonia
Kino Produzioni | Italy
Just a Moment |Lithuania
White Picture | Latvia
Live-action feature | 2nd feature
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Logline
A scientific experiment brings Kristi back after her death in a car accident giving her and Tom a second chance for a life they have always dreamed of. While confronting her new identity, they must discover if their love can survive her resurrection.
Synopsis
Set in a near-future Europe devastated by climate change, Kristi (33), an eye doctor, and Tom (33), an art historian, are pursuing their dream of becoming parents. After years of infertility, they try a radical procedure: implanting a synthetic chip in Kristi to regulate her hormones. Their hopes soar when Kristi becomes pregnant, but tragedy strikes when she dies in a car accident weeks before giving birth. The baby, Roosi, survives, leaving Tom devastated.
Months later, scientists approach Tom with an extraordinary offer: they can bring Kristi back. Kristi’s consciousness can be transferred into the body of a recently deceased climate refugee. Desperate, Tom agrees, and Kristi is resurrected. However, she awakens in a stranger’s body, with a foreign accent, struggling with the loss of her identity.
As Kristi and Tom attempt to rebuild their family, they face a host of challenges. Kristi must adapt to her new body while trying to connect with her daughter, and reclaim her life. Tom struggles with grief and the reality of this altered version of his wife. Their relationship strains under the weight of these changes, and Kristi’s estranged mother rejects her resurrection. Kristi is drawn to the past of her new body, questioning if her old life can ever truly be restored or if a new path awaits.
In this exploration of identity, love, and rebirth, the film examines if love can endure when everything changes and if Kristi can find a purpose in this second chance at life.
Director’s Profile
Vallo Toomla has studied theology at the University of Tartu and continued his studies at Tallinn University’s Baltic Film and Media School, majoring in film directing. He has made five short films and one animated film – LEMONADE TALE (2013). His second student film MORBIUS (2009) was selected to the Sleepwalkers sub-festival of Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, where it won the award of Best Estonian Short Film. His debut feature PRETENDERS (2016) premiered in San Sebastian International Film festival – New Directors Section, won Estonian National Film Award for the best screenplay in 2017 as well as the film of the year by Estonian Cultural Endowment. His documentary VERBA DIERUM: A YEAR WITH MARJU LEPAJÕE (2019) was awarded the Documentary of the Year by Estonian Cultural Endowment, nominated the film of the year by the Estonian Film Critics Association as well as earning the highest Estonian cultural recognition the National State Cultural Award. Vallo’s most current work is his feature documentary THAT’S HOW IT IS (2024).
Company Profile
Stellar Film is one of the leading production companies in Estonia, established in 2015 and run by Evelin Penttilä and Johanna Maria Paulson. The filmography ranges from short and feature-length fiction films to documentaries and TV series, all of which share a common goal of telling encouraging and inspiring stories, blending genres, and pushing boundaries.
Notable works include the feature film The Sleeping Beast (2022, dir. Jaak Kilmi), short films Sauna Day (2024, dir. Anna Hints, Tushar Prakash), The Weight of Light (2023, dir. Anna Hints) and Bad Hair (dir. Oskar Lehemaa), as well as internationally co-produced features The Missile (2024, dir. Miia Tervo), Hit Big (2022, dir. J. P. Valkeapää), Omerta 6/12 (2021, dir. Aku Louhimies), Helene (dir. Antti J. Jokinen), Christmas in the Jungle (2020, dir. Jaak Kilmi), and Maria’s Paradise (2019, dir. Zaida Bergroth).
Many of the films have been showcased at prestigious festivals, including Cannes Semaine de la Critique, Sundance, TIFF, Hot Docs, Camerimage, Fantastic Fest, Fantasia, Black Nights FF, Palm Springs FF, Aspen, and Busan, among others.
Stellar Film is a proud member of the EPC, the Estonian Film Industry Cluster and is one of the founders of Tallinn Film Wonderland.