The Unflinching Lens on Youth in Captivity The 1985 film "Smile at Last" is a searing portrayal of life in a Soviet youth facility, where the lines between care and cruelty are blurred.
Directed by Leida Laius and Arvo Iho, this Estonian drama uses nonprofessional actors and handheld camerawork to capture the raw emotions of its characters.
On one level, "Smile at Last" appears to be a coming of age story, but it's far more complex than that.