Those Who Dare
Þeir sem þora
Between 1986 and 1991, the Baltic nations struggled for the restoration of independence, Gorbachev's perestroika paving the way. The film recaptures the dramatic events in the Baltic capitals of Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn in January 1991 when the Soviet military brutally attempted to suppress the independence movements. The three nations' cries for help were ignored by the international community; the superpowers had other interests (a war in Iraq, the unification of Germany) and did not want to rock the Russian boat. Two other small nations, Iceland and Denmark, answered the call, motivated by the personal connections of their foreign ministers, Jón Baldvin Hannibalsson and Uffe Elleman Jensen. In August 1991, following the attempted coup d'état in Moscow, Iceland became the first country to recognize the Baltic countries. In December, the Soviet Union formally ceased to exist.