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Rea Lest

Rea Lest

Actor · Born May 14, 1990 (36) · Tallinn, Harju County, Estonian SSR, USSR [now Estonia]

Berlinale award winner

Rea Lest-Liik (born May 14, 1990) is an Estonian stage and film actress who came to prominence in the 2010s following leading roles in several Estonian films, such as November and Manslayer/Virgin/Shadow. She has won several awards for stage and film roles. Rea Lest was born and raised in Tallinn. She is a 2009 graduate of the Jakob Westholm Gymnasium secondary school. In 2010, she enrolled at the University of Tartu to study art therapy, but left shortly after to enroll in the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre's drama department to study acting under instructor Tiit Ojasoo. In 2012, she won the Voldemar Panso Young Actor Award while studying at academy. She graduated from the academy in 2014. Among her graduating classmates were actors Jaanika Arum, Helena Pruuli, Reimo Sagor, Simeoni Sundja, Kärt Tammjärv, and future husband Jörgen Liik. In 2014, shortly after graduating from the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, Lest began an engagement at the Theatre NO99; a non-profit foundation repertory theatre in Tallinn. Lest left the theatre in 2018, prior to its closing in 2019. Lest made her film debut in the 2014 student film comedy short Lõputu suvi (English: Endless Summer), directed by Jaan Penjam, and was Penjam's master's thesis production for the Film Department of the Baltic Film and Media School. In 2016, she was cast in her first feature-length film as the character Riin in the Kadri Kõusaar directed darkly comic crime mystery Ema (English: Mother). The film was selected as Estonia's entry for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film category at the 2017 89th Academy Awards. In 2016, was cast in the lead role of Liina in the 2017 Rainer Sarnet directed gothic fantasy thriller November, based on Andrus Kivirähk's 2000 novel Rehepapp ehk November. The film received positive reviews and was selected as the Estonian entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated. It made its North American premiere in the International Narrative Competition at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2017. The film is also notable for being Estonian veteran actor Arvo Kukumägi's last film role before his death in May 2017. The same year, Lest appeared as the lead in the Sulev Keedus directed drama Mehetapja/Süütu/Vari (English: The Man Slayer/The Virgin/The Shadow). Lest portrayed three different protagonists in three historical triptychs of women in Estonia struggling to decide their own destiny. In 2019, she appeared in a leading role opposite former Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre classmate Reimo Sagor in the Martti Helde directed psychological thriller Skandinaavia vaikus (English: Scandinavian Silence). The film won both the critics and the audience award at the 2019 Riga Film Festival.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
May 14, 1990 (36)
From
Tallinn, Harju County, Estonian SSR, USSR [now Estonia]
Works as
Actor
Titles
4 on MovieCove · 13 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Up 20% in 30 days

What are Rea Lest's films like?

Across a limited sample of 4 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Survival
38%
Self
35%
Society
13%
Power
8%
Bonds
6%
Survival3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 4 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Wry: How sincerely it treats its story and characters, from ironic to earnest. Browse their wry movies.
Tone · Sincerity
ironicearnest

A split, not a type: Ironic 2 · Wry 1 · Earnest 1

Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 1 · Serious 1 · Dark 2

Heightened: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their heightened movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 0 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 3

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 1 · Charged 1 · Intense 2

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 0 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 1 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 0

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 1 · Affecting 0 · Heavy 3

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 0 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 2

Roles they play

2 analyzed roles

Moods and endings

endings shown from 5 titles

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Absurd
3
Dread
3
Tense
2
Melancholic
1
Thrilling
1
Other
1

How their films linger

Thought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Rea Lest's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 3 of their 4 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Rea Lest's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

13 credits, 4 with a MovieCove page.

  • A Microphone in the Head (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Actor

  • The Black Hole(2024)

    as Uma

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Aurora (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    as Mia

  • Azrael(2024)

    ADR & Dubbing · as Liesl

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Dark Paradise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    as Karmen

  • Dual(2022)

    as Emergency Room Receptionist

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Scandinavian Silence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    as She

  • FRESH BLOOD: Own and Stranger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    as Grete (segment "True")

  • True (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    as Grete

  • Manslayer/Virgin/Shadow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    as Maara (Manslayer) / Elina (Virgin) / Luna Lee (Shadow)

  • November(2017)

    as Liina

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Mother (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    as Riin

  • Lex Julia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Julia

Career shape

Star power in the 83rd percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 13 titles, 12 of them dated from 2016 to 2025; peak year 2017.

Biggest box office

Azrael (2024)

$667K worldwide

Highest rated

November (2017)

Midcredits 86th

Most popular right now

Azrael (2024)

Film career

20162025

Peak 2017 · steadily prominent in film for years. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting13 of 13: 12 only acting, 1 with another roleOther crew1 of 13: 0 only other crew, 1 with another role

By decade

2010s6 · acting2020s6 · 6 acting · 1 crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it.

Awards

Won a Berlinale award in 2019.

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Rea Lest's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 43rd percentile, the median of all 4; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 50th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

50thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Approval · how many liked their films

36thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Reach · how many have seen their films

90thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Midcredits score across 4 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up1
  • 50th to 74th1
  • 25th to 49th1
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

None of their 4 titles divides audiences: 2 are Mixed.

  • Crowd Pleaser1
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed2

Most loved · actor

November (2017)

Midcredits 86th · 72% liked

Reviewers score the acting 66/100 in their films, across 4 reviewed titles; fans 74, detractors 39. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Rea Lest's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 48 · moderateMedian of all films: 32
Frightening / Intense3 titlesmedian 64 · intenseMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Rea Lest work with?

People who share at least 2 of Rea Lest's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Andrus Kivirähk shares the most, 2.

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers

Producers