The surprise of a new week of film watching was the 2016 Latvian film Mellow Mud (Es Esmu Seit) by director Renars Vimba; his first feature film. I happened to stumble over this Arthouse film, not really knowing what to expect. Latvia is not particularly well-known for its filmmaking, so it was my chance to enter into something as yet uncharted for me. Both the story, the way of storytelling and the photography contributed to it becoming an impressive, fascinating and moving experience for me.

Mellow Mud is about the 17-year old Raya and her younger brother Robis who live with their grandma in the countryside of Latvia. Grandma has become their guardian, when their mother abandoned her family to move to London in search of an easier life. It is hard for them to find their way in life. Grandma is not particularly kind to them, but it is their only alternative to being sent to an orphanage. Raya cares for the fruit trees on the property and is enraged about their grandma selling off their land. When grandma suddenly dies, Raya decides this is the only place safe enough for them. She wants to stay on the farm and try to get their mother back from London. They bury grandma in a remote corner on the farm and decide to tell no one.

We witness how harsh, lonely and insecure life is when children are left to their own devices. Large parts of the film are largely dialogue-free, but we can read more than enough in the moods and looks of Raya. It is beautiful to see her taking a hold of their own future with idealism, determination and courage. It is also heartbreaking to see how bitter and unfair it is to carry those kind of burdens and secrets at that age. Elina Vaska who plays Raya is an extraordinary talent and she fills the scenes with her sadness, her doubts, her hopes, her courage to make something of her life and her budding femininity. The Latvian countryside adds a lot to the story with its own bleakness and beauty.

The title suggests that the story deals with how you build a life when life circumstances get unstable and muddy, how young people’s life can turn into a quagmire, how hard it can be to pull oneself out of the mud. In today’s world Raya is not an exception! If you get the chance to see this film, don’t miss it!

Rinus, Aug 2020

*image posted for non commercial purposes under fair use of copyright material in recommendation of the film