A film that depicts the mentality of the inhabitants of a small village on the Baltic coast. Three guys are trying to fulfill their life's by drinking beer, killing time and picking up fights with neighboring villagers. The main character Andzha is trying to convince his girlfriend to marry him. The sudden arrival of his elder brother Guido starts a series of events where main roles a played by elevated self-esteem, pride and cravings for love that is stronger than death.
'Family Instinct' is a film about incest - an illegal act, social taboo and a violation of religious norms. Zanda is a 28-year-old woman, worn out by hard work. Surrounded by poverty and despair, she is trying to survive with her two children in a god-forsaken Latvian village. Her hardships can be traced back to living in a relationship with her brother Valdis. When Valdis is put in jail, the local community forces her to make a difficult choice: to stay with him or with her children. Despite her ill fortune, she manages to express her love for the children, still hoping to save her family. The film offers a tragicomic but highly authentic insight into the bleak reality of post-soviet era.
Ralf, 35, is saving his relationship by taking his girlfriend’s son on a boat trip with an aim to establish himself as a father figure. Not a wildlife expert himself, he also takes on board his office buddy, and it soon becomes clear that this unpredictable, flamboyant womaniser is a world away from being an example to look up to. As Ralf tries to protect the boy from his friend's unsophisticated look on gender and sexuality, soon they are confronted with the realities of the sharp winding river and the roughness of Latvian nature.
Martin has fulfilled the European dream: he has a beautiful spouse, a nice house and a well-set business. When he turns 40, he starts to ask: is this all there is, and what’s next? An existential comedy/drama about success, sense of freedom and the meaning of life.
Following an ad in the paper, Ilze leaves her native village to become an actress. She fails the audition, but her pride won't let her return home. Her boyfriend is skeptical about her ambitions, so he comes after her to bring her back home. The plot evolves around their relationship as they pretend and lie to each other trying to end the emotional stand-off.
Ģirts and his friend plan an excursion to a mystical place, the abandoned Potassium Park. In order to get the family car, Ģirts lies and says he is going fishing, so his parents compel him to take his younger brother along. Ģirts’ friend backs out, and he is forced to go fishing after all. Bitter about the failed plan, Ģirts is mean, but his brother’s joy over the first fish caught is a self-revelation of his pervasive injustice towards his younger brother. As a gift, Ģirts shows him the secret entrance to Potassium Park. The brothers head off on an exciting foray through the abandoned and mysterious structures, until they accidentally uncover a box of explosives that tests their newly-developed camaraderie.
Una was the first person who used the change in Latvian Law to find her sister, lost in the process of adoption. Breaking through bureaucratic jungle she suddenly discovers that she has not only one but four sisters, all adopted and scattered around the world. The search for them becomes her mission that takes her to Europe, Russia and the US. She translates her call in 32 languages and posts it across the world. The almost impossible task is helped by media, friends, courage and persistence.
Dissatisfied with his personality, a young mathematician from a family of divorced academics decides to punish his mother for wrong upbringing. A touching yet humorous story about a mother and son and the creative and destructive power of motherly love.
Two men in post-communist Latvia go around preaching Gods word and get involved into all kind of encounters. Erik is a super-pious moralist. But Daniel is a super-consumerist who preaches the gospel of wealth. Their arguments and battles are laugh-out-loud funny as they attempt to convert the heathen (who smile and look on in pure amusement).
