2 reviews
Can you use hard drugs and solve the problems in your family at the same time? Really? Raise you hands if you believe that! Poor acting isn't convincing either. A real drug addict doesn't look like a normal person and the girl's father was quite ridiculous. I felt like I had wasted my time waiting for an ending worth to remember. Perhaps some youngsters might find the story gripping enough because visually it looks good on screen and there is plenty of action. But that all is so predictable and lacking any depth. It feels like the writers and the director need more experience to make a good realistic drama.
No society is flawless, and this is a realistic portrayal of circumstances that happen to be common in contemporary Latvia (and are not unknown elsewhere, of course). The father who can't be bothered to do serious parenting. The mother who all too eagerly works abroad. The son growing up without friends or role models. The daughter trying to take up the slack, even as she flounders in the perils of late adolescence.
It's also a realistic portrayal of young people's drug use. Too often, such films focus on addiction, psychosis, and death. In reality, this isn't what happens most of the time. Mostly, drugs are a phase young people go through, and the most imminent risks are related to the vulnerability of being intoxicated - as this film shows in different scenes. Are the risks worth it? The film doesn't force a clear answer, merely demonstrating how intoxication can also help overcome boundaries - facilitating, for instance, the protagonist's exploration of her sexuality - or provide respite from an otherwise bleak emotional life.
The film benefits from a compelling lead actress (this might not be obvious at first, but keep watching) and engaging cinematography, especially when it comes to the nightclub scenes that form much of the backdrop. In terms of story and atmosphere, it has much in common with another well-made Latvian film, Mellow Mud. That Neon Spring still has a mediocre average rating (at the time of writing, just 6.3) might be related to its refusal to moralise. Its only real imperfection seems to lie in its editing, which is if anything too tight at times. There are a few scenes that remain hard to understand even after an otherwise enjoyable second viewing.
It's also a realistic portrayal of young people's drug use. Too often, such films focus on addiction, psychosis, and death. In reality, this isn't what happens most of the time. Mostly, drugs are a phase young people go through, and the most imminent risks are related to the vulnerability of being intoxicated - as this film shows in different scenes. Are the risks worth it? The film doesn't force a clear answer, merely demonstrating how intoxication can also help overcome boundaries - facilitating, for instance, the protagonist's exploration of her sexuality - or provide respite from an otherwise bleak emotional life.
The film benefits from a compelling lead actress (this might not be obvious at first, but keep watching) and engaging cinematography, especially when it comes to the nightclub scenes that form much of the backdrop. In terms of story and atmosphere, it has much in common with another well-made Latvian film, Mellow Mud. That Neon Spring still has a mediocre average rating (at the time of writing, just 6.3) might be related to its refusal to moralise. Its only real imperfection seems to lie in its editing, which is if anything too tight at times. There are a few scenes that remain hard to understand even after an otherwise enjoyable second viewing.
- baltic_film_fan
- Jun 7, 2023
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