Arianna Moses
Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.
svens2-1
It's a small, quirky, extremely funny film based on a popular play written by an Estonian author. (Zeltina played the same role in the Jauna Rigas Teatra production.) It's about a guy and girl who experience a motor scooter breakdown out in the countryside and seek refuge in a nearby ramshackle house where they meet the very strange and quixotic man who lives there. The film is full of surprises, the screenplay is terrific and extremely funny, and the story (about love and money) seems very timely.Although Miks is from Latvia, he's been studying film and working in the US for several years, and based on this film alone, he's loaded with talent. I would compare the film to 'Sideways', which is another small film and something of a cult favorite.If Mirisch promotes it well and they can get it into Sundance or some other key film festivals, it may start appearing in US theaters.Although the film is not about Latvia, Zeltina plays a Latvian model who hooks up with a California guy, and the subtext will ring familiar to Latvians. She speaks good, but accented English but at one point loses her temper and screams 'aizveries!' to her boyfriend. It's all very cute and clever.It's gonna be available to public in October, 2009.