Mehed ei nuta

Mehed ei nuta
DVD cover
Directed by	Sulev Nõmmik
Written by	Enn Vetemaa Sulev Nõmmik
Produced by	Eesti Telefilm
Music by	Ülo Vinter
Distributed by	Eesti Telefilm
Release date	1 January 1969 (1969-01-01)
Running time	80 minutes
Countries	USSR Estonian SSR
Language	Estonian

Mehed ei nuta (Estonian for Men Don't Cry) is a 1969 Estonian television comedy movie directed by Sulev Nõmmik and written by himself and Enn Vetemaa.

A group of people suffering from sleeplessness are, under the guise of a resort, moved to a peninsula and subjected to work therapy. When they realise the deception, they attempt to leave the fake resort, with hilarious consequences.

Plot

The film begins with a radio announcement about a new state-of-the-art sanatorium designed specifically for insomniacs, offering treatment for those unable to sleep. A group of men, each with peculiar reasons for their sleeplessness, signs up for the program, not necessarily to cure their insomnia but for a break filled with relaxation, music, and the allure of a resort-like environment.

The medical staff quickly realizes that the participants are healthier than they claim. To teach them a lesson, the nurses send the group to an uninhabited island, housing nothing but a dilapidated fisherman's hut, which they present as a special sanatorium branch. The "patients" soon realize the treatment consists of hard labor, fresh air, and no luxuries—a stark contrast to their expectations. The nurses are determined to administer this unconventional cure, drawing inspiration from the idea that "work turns monkeys into men."

Initially, the men rebel, concocting outlandish escape plans involving rafts, swimming attempts, and even romantic manipulations of the staff. Amid the chaos, one participant forms a genuine connection with a nurse, who eventually reveals the truth: they are not on an isolated island but on a peninsula, with the actual sanatorium just a few kilometers away.

Influence

Together with Viimne reliikvia, Siin me oleme! and Noor pensionär, Mehed ei nuta is one of the most culturally influential movies of the Soviet era in Estonia. Particularly memorable is the character of a hypochondriac protagonist, played by Ervin Abel.

Cast

• Ervin Abel as Hypochondriac
• Kalju Karask as Singer
• Endel Pärn as Glutton
• Voldemar Kuslap as Playboy
• Lia Laats as Nurse
• Sophie Sooäär as Farmhouse Nurse
• Ants Lauter as Managing director
• Jüri Makarov as Young captain
• Leo Normet as Normet
• Marika Merilo as Girl
• Sulev Nõmmik as Professor
• Helmut Vaag as Head Lifeguard
• Vello Viisimaa as Doctor

External links

• Mehed ei nuta at the Estonian Public Broadcasting Archives (in Estonian)
• Mehed ei nuta at IMDb
• SL Õhtuleht 5 July 2003: "Kiirustage, seltsimehed unetud!"