Eventhough I am not a big sports fan myself by any means, I quite enjoyed watching "Kalev" as it is gripping, touching, sincere and genuine. The political issues of USSR and Estonia in the 90s are deeply rooted in the narrative, which makes this film not just another sports film about following your hopes and dreams. In contrast to other film about sport competitions (where the concentration is usually on the players/one of the players)"Kalev" leads its plot mostly through the point of view of the team's coach Jaak Salumets and manager Riho Soonik - which puts a nice spin on the sports-film genre. The costumes, haircuts and filming locations were true to the 90s era and the colour palette was not overly bright or radiant which rightly reflected the grim atmosphere in Eastern Europe at that time. I also appreciated the fast pace of the whole film and shorter runtime, which was perfect for this type of film. Although I read that some moments are not historically accurate (such as involment of some players and other historical figures), I can still recommend this film.
Review of Kalev
