Masas

Olte focuses on thirteen years old Anastasia (Emma Skirmante), who lives in longings and illusions about her biological mother. Her mother also grew up in an orphanage and spent a large part of her life in prison, which also shows her as a victim of the Latvian social system. Lonely, unsupported and uneducated, this mother - Alla (Iveta Pole) - goes through life with nervous laughter echoing over the fates of her three abandoned daughters. Thoughts pervaded the film - You cannot give to another what you have not received yourself. You cannot create a world about whose existence you have no idea.

I should admit that I know little about the quality of life in Latvia. Linda Olte's "Masas" ("Sisters" in English) makes it look dismal, focusing on a pair of sisters in an orphanage about to get adopted by a couple from the US, except that their wayward mom reenters the scene.

The movie doesn't moralize. It simply poses the question of when it's okay to claim control of something, especially when you don't understand how to deal with it. The girls' family sounds truly screwed up. When you think about it, doesn't it seem like a lot of people simply have children without realizing the challenges that will come with this?

Not a masterpiece, but worth seeing. I hope to see more movies from Olte. Available on Tubi (a streaming service that doesn't require a subscription).