Võõrad (“Unfamiliars”) is an Estonian drama film written by Chinh van Tran and directed by Lauri Elstelä. It follows three characters experiencing familial tensions in a single apartment once owned by a now-dead man. The mother is obsessed with her dead son’s possessions, the sister is forced to inherit her dead brother’s old belongings, and the son-in-law pretends to ignore a past affair with his dead lover.

What I found inherently interesting about this film is how it so subtly conveys tragedy and despair without allowing it to rise to the surface. The narrative powerfully conveys grief and tension without the characters describing their feelings or confiding in each other. It’s as if each character is lost in their own world and unable to reach out to another.

Designing the credits was a simple affair. I chose to use a sans-serif typeface that alternates between thick and thin depending on whether it is a role or name that is written. As is wont with short films, I chose to play the credits using static title cards.