I'm so happy to share my thoughts on this timeless masterpiece on Aivars Freimanis (8.02.1936. - 24.01.2018.) death anniversary today. I rewatched this last year as a triple-bill with Vojtech Jasny's Desire (1958), Andrzej Kondratiuk's The Four Seasons (1984) as each of these films tackle similar themes in quite different ways!
I saved this review for today and let me start to call this as one of the best visually exquisite piece of art. Aivars Freimanis has shot a poetry with the finest prose. I know it's an adaptation of "Balta Gramata" (The White Book) by Janis Jaunsudrabins but the technical wondrousity and visual adaption is one of the best ever, cinematically speaking. Latvian poet Imants Ziedonis is also credited as one of the writer of this film.
The plot is dreamike focussing on little servant boy Jancis and through the course of the film, we get to see him caught in the middle of adults, he doesn't talk too much, there's so much going on his mind but says it all with a look, peeping through the windowpanes as things change around him. The window shots are back and forth and works like an invitation to the four seasons as Jancis travels through it. For Jancis it's the small moments of everyday life that matters but not everything is rosy as the story unfolds. There is also a masterful representation and depiction of Latvian life, culture, and traditions. We get wonderful glimpses of all the characters' lives, including Jancis favourite temporary companions a dog and Jurks, an old man who is not an important person in the village but very special for the former. His bond between Jurks and the Dog features some of the best heartwarming moments in the film. Around this simple story, Aivars Freimanis and cinematographer Davis Simanis weave a visual symphony with strikingly poetic images. It is so beautiful, uninterrupted and visually aesthetic that makes you appreciate each and every shots. I even thought of the Tenghiz Abuladze's The Wishing Tree (1976), you will know when you watch the film. The Sound design by Igors Jakovlevs feels like a therapeutic experience from start to finish. The soundtrack is by legendary Latvian composer Martins Brauns who passed away last year.
I know this is categorised as a family film, but there is brief nudity with breast and butt exposed in one the best scenes. It is naturalized nudity and non-sexualized which won't upset anyone.
Final thoughts, It is a film that fits into its minimal narrative and i'm sure not everyone will sit through it from start to finish. Those who don't mind the pacing, this will be a huge slog through the landscape, literally, and as a viewing experience it will be delightful which is very rarely matched in cinema. The whole thing is rounded off by a bittersweet ending. I really want to Thank the Studija Lokomotive for their effort in restoring this masterpiece in 4K to its original glory, i really wish Aivars Freimanis was alive to see it!
