Modris (2014)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2014
	Director: Juris Kursietis
	Actors: Kristers Piksa, Rezija Kalnina
	Country: LV, D,GR
	Genre: Drama
	Conditions of visioning: 26.09.2014, Kursaal 2, FSSDZ2014, Latvia with Spanish/English subtitles
Synopsis: Modris (Piksa) is seventeen and does not know his father. He goes to school, has a girlfriend, some good friends. His gambling addiction makes him steal the money of his mother (Kalnina) and thus his relationship with mother difficult. They live alone and she doesn't miss a chance to remind him his father is in prison. When Modris pawns his mother's electric heater, trying to squeeze a win from a slot machine, she betrays him to the police and Modris is sentenced to two years probation. This is when his adventures with the Latvian justice system start.
Review: The story is inspired by a true story told to the director by a lawyer friend. I had the impression that Modris is not interested in anything but his addiction to slot machines. His mother, his girlfriend, the school, the other schoolmates. He has no friend neither. It appeared to me to be irrealistic. More realism came via the slightly shaky camera even during a static shot. The actors play well and, apart from Modris, with emotion.  I have been surprised by the director explaining in the Q&A that he wanted to have a very realistic movie. For this he used the way of work of some Nouvelle vague movies to give the script to the actors shot by shot just before the shot. I think this worked.
Rating: 4 /10