AllMovie

Veteran Estonian filmmaker Arvo Iho brings to the big screen the story of one man's retreat to nature in this adaptation of the Nikolai Baturin novel Karu Süda -- The Heart of the Bear. Fed up with his inane, urban-dwelling life, young Nika (Rain Simmul) heads for the rugged tranquility of the Siberian taiga. His new environment proving to be very extreme, Nika is forced to pick up a number of survival skills rather quickly -- and while doing so, he earns the respect of a number of the region's natives. Meanwhile, the young Estonian manages to meet and fall in love with a teacher named Guitya (Dinara Drukarova). Eventually, the two marry and settle down, but their marriage becomes unstable when Nika encounters a young wild woman he calls Emily (Iljana Pavlova). This mysterious young woman, who also has a mysterious connection with a gigantic, wild brown bear, quickly captures Nika's heart and forces the young recluse to make a very difficult decision. Karu Süda -- The Heart of the Bear was presented at the 2002 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.