Mellow Mud

Es Esmu Šeit is a moody, at times depressing, film about a young girl named Raja who, alongside her brother Robis, is trying to survive in this world while being parentless. It was at times a difficult movie to watch as it elicited strong emotions in me about loss and abandonment.

The main actress did a great job in creating this lost character. Raja first appears as an angry and angsty teen, but through out the film becomes a complex character. You start to see beyond the rough edges into a vulnerable person trying to get by as best as they can.

The film is a visually beautiful portrait of the Latvian countryside but without ignoring all its messiness and ugliness. It rings true and reminded of my own grandparents home.

The only flaw I could see in this film is that at times it felt too dragged out and you'd wish it would pick up the pace. And as a minor nitpick there's the fact that the film is supposed to take place in Rēzekne but not a single character has a Latgalian accent.

But other than that Es Esmu Šeit is a perfectly good film which I would recommend to fans of serious drama.

(2016) Mellow Mud/ Es esmu seit (In Latvian with English subtitles) DRAMA

Written and directed by Renars Vimba that opens with 17year old, Raya (Elina Vaska) walking to school with her 12 year old younger brother, Robis (Andzejs Lilientals) to school. And by the time she comes home, she would then begin arguing with her grandmother, (Ruta Birgere) after finding out she is planning to sell household. And it was not until the following morning, the grandmother was then discovered emotionless. And just as Raya was considering on calling the ambulance, she then realizes if she did do that, that both her and her younger would then be broken up and possibly be put into foster homes. And just like what any teenager would, she would then decide to have the grandmother buried instead, and just pretend to others who ask about it that she is confined into the house, particularly the absent mother, Daina (Zane Jancevska). And it was during then she exploits the situation a little by rummaging through the grandmother's things and when money is discovered, they immediately go grocery shopping. And when both go to school, she then manages to convince both the principle and the English teacher, Oskar (Edgars Samitis) she may be the best contestant to enter into a writing contest. And it is one thing that leads to another for it is just a matter of time before authorities are going to find out.

Some of the good things about the movie is that we get a glimpse about the customs of Latvia and how they operate, such as when social service worker arrives to the house to hand over the monthly payment, the daughter signs for it, before he hands the money onto her. The baffling scenes are the supposed absent mother who sometimes arrives when she is supposed to be somewhat neglectful, only for the daughter to travel to London, England to fetch the mother. I mean, if the mother is supposed to be an absent mother, it has a funny way to show it.

The film is very bleak for the most part , created and directed from a completely different perspective than what I and most american viewers are used to. I came here to review the film because when I finished watching the film I thought I didn't like it but I changed my mind, it took a day for the film to sink in and once it did sink in it stayed with me. I'd say that's the test of a good movie. I saw it on Amazon Prime and I never would have found it except that when I searched for the movie MUD this film came up in the search as well.