Man in Latvian cinema
Man in Latvian cinema – doormat, symbol and survivor
In the history of the Latvian cinema (partly due to the one-dimensional ideology of the Soviet Union), male characters were not given much of a range to express themselves – they were either positive, or negative, without too many intermediate states to choose from. The films chosen for this 2ANNAS programme nevertheless reveal that a man CAN be as extraordinary as to shock and embarrass the people of his time, that he encourages us to sympathize with him or take his actions with a grain of salt, in any case, not remain indifferent, even nowadays.
For instance, the egoistical and cowardly Harijs Maurs, who was almost denied the chance to be the main character of a film, because the imagined “reality” of the Soviet times would not accept men like him in leading roles – they were simply to be ignored. It was also not easy for Juris Podnieks and Arnolds Plaudis to talk honestly about the Latvian Riflemen, who, as it turns out, did not just innocently protect Lenin in Kremlin. Whereas Ivars Seleckis’ film, logically continuing the socio-publicistic journey that was started in the film The Woman Who Is Expected?, clearly and somewhat didactically divides men into the right and wrong ones, although 30 years later everything looks completely different – everyone is trying to survive in the place determined for them by fate.
Characteristically, a woman is that litmus paper which without error reveals the chemical contents of a man, even if she is only Anniņa in the riflemen’s songs, or an anonymous blonde woman one meets at a ball for those who are over thirty, or the powerful Ieva from Harijs Maurs’ life in Astrīda Kairiša’s film. You did not think that a programme focusing on Men would be possible without Women, did you?
23/09 KKC 18.00
BUTTERFLY DANCE / TAURIŅDEJA, 1971, colour, 98’
Screenwriter Zigmunds Skujiņš, director Oļģerts Dunkers, director of photography Miks Zvirbulis, production designer Gunārs Zemgals, starring – Bruno Oja (Harijs Maurs)
24/09 KKC 17.30
THE RIFLEMEN CONSTELLATION / STRĒLNIEKU ZVAIGZNĀJS, 1982, colour, 52’
Screenwriters Arnolds Plaudis and Juris Podnieks, director Juris Podnieks, director of photography Andris Slapiņš, text by Jānis Peters
LOOKING FOR A MAN / MEKLĒJU VĪRIETI, 1983, b&w, 51’
Screenwriter Tālivaldis Margēvičs, director and director of photography Ivars Seleckis, editor Maija Selecka
Curated by Kristīne Matīsa
27/09 KSuns 16.00
Short film program: Anti-heroes
As a rule, a man is a victor, a conqueror, a hero. In this programme, everything is vice versa. A man does not conquer, and his journey leads Nowhere. He is being consumed by the swamp of life (Meeting The Son), he is forced to leave home and fatherland (How We Left Home), he loses his identity (Passport) and makes a mistake confused by his feelings (Agent Falls In Love).
Memorable actors, solid directing and the power of discovery!
MEETING THE SON / TIKŠANĀS AR DĒLU, Kārlis Piesis, 1964
HOW WE LEFT HOME / KĀ MĒS AIZGĀJĀM NO MĀJĀM, Pēteris Krilovs, 1986
PASSPORT / PASE, Augusts Sukuts, 1985
AGENT FALLS IN LOVE / AĢENTS IEMĪLAS, Gatis Šmits, 2004
Curated by Agris Redovičs