Cinema: What is Latvian comedy like?

In recent years, Latvian comedies occupy the top positions in terms of the number of views among all films in Latvian cinemas. We can even say that they compete well with Hollywood blockbusters. At the same time comedies of local directors are so successful that adaptations arise in other countries, and they are enthusiastically greeted by critics at international festivals.

Were they laughing in the 90s?

Latvian cinema has been establishing its independence since the early 1990s — for obvious reasons. It was then that Latvia denationalized the cinema system, and private film studios began to appear in the country. The filmmakers of that time not only answered requests of the contemporaries, they made films that worried them. Therefore, the 90s in the history of Latvian cinema is characterized by a large number of documentaries, and subsequently historical films. In many of them bitter irony or sarcasm could be seen but not sincere laughter. It seems that at that time there was no place for Latvian comedy.

Only in 1996, the Latvian-Norwegian film “Virgins of Riga” was released, and two years later “The Shoe” — Latvian version of the Cindarella story. And these films seemed to become the impulse for the revival of the forgotten popular genre of the Riga film studio. Therefore the comedy which is now known and loved by Latvians, appeared only recently.

What are Latvians joking about? About proportionality and degrees, life and honesty. The humor of the inhabitants of Latvia reflects their life – calm, peaceful and leisurely. However, the pervasive globalization has not bypassed jokes and, as experts note, Latvian comedy now adopts many Hollywood trends and elements of the cinema language — and that’s only normal as this phenomenon can be traced in the cinema of different countries. At the same time local directors also create comedy films filled with local humor becoming very popular among Latvians. What comedies have been loved by audiences in recent years?

“Swingers” (2016)

The comedy of Andrejs Ekis “Swingers” acquired international success and although the name is quite spicy, in the film the sexual subtext is not manifested as much as one might think. The audience enjoyed the film so much, and not just in Latvia, that similar pictures appeared in neighboring countries in their national context. Therefore, following the original version, Ekis shot “Swingers” for Estonia, Poland and Russia with local actors to lure viewers into cinema halls.

What is this comedy about? Easy-going plot built around human relationships, passions, desires, understatements. The characters flirt with each other, cause jealousy and love. Comic situations are quite realistic and not exaggerated, and perhaps this is what bribes the viewer. What the viewer sees on the screen is not a hyperbolized absurdity but a piece of real life, the same emotions and feelings that everyone could once experience. It connects the viewer with the characters of the film.

“The Foundation of Criminal Excellence”(2018)

Different kind of film, not as characteristic of Latvian cinema, was shot by Oskar Rupenheit — his “The Foundation of Criminal Excellence” resembles the criminal comedies of Guy Ritchie. In the style of the 80s, the film turned out and we are not afraid of this word – very atmospheric: beautifully built frames, muted colors, well-chosen scenery satisfying the aesthetic needs of the audience.

The plot is based on the adventures of two friends. The main characters — Imant and Harry, a not too successful television screenwriter and failed actor — decide to change their lives and become swindlers. However, the life of fraudsters is not easy, especially if you don’t know anything about the laws of the criminal world.

Why else is this film worth paying attention to besides its humor and lightness? Director Oskar Rupenhait managed to shoot the movie completely without state support, a campaign was created for “The Foundation of Criminal Excellence” on a crowdfunding platform where anyone could donate money. For a larger investment, you could even get a role in the picture. And what’s worth noting here is another feature of the film — there are no professional actors in it. However, this did not prevent the film from winning the hearts of viewers — in 2018, the work of Rupenhait became the most viewed picture in the history of the “Forum Cinemas”, having even managed to overtake the successful “Swingers”.

“Homo Novus” (2018)

Director Anna Viduleia directed the romantic comedy “Homo Novus”, a film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Anslav Eglitis, as part of the program of the National Film Center “Latvian Films for Latvian Centenary”.

Thanks to the splendid camera work, the audience is transferred to the 1930s Riga, an ideal period in Latvian history from the point of view of the country’s freedom. A period when the Second World War had not yet begun, and Riga was a European and multicultural city, to which the whole world seemed to be open. The locations and scenery of the film are beautiful and impressive, the shots are relatively simple but elegant, the setting is accurate and composedly designed. The plot is built around two completely different artists who come to Riga and meet each other in the bohemian atmosphere of the city of the 1930s, in an environment of creative people, where relationships and intrigues begin to develop.

The successful decision of the director was to invite Latvian film stars to the team, who enriched and decorated the picture, among them Kristin Kruze, Kaspars Znotinsh, Andris Keishs and others. And although romance and the main character’s search for the ideal comes to the fore of the film, humor is seen here as well.

“Grandpa More Dangerous Than Computer” (2017)

The next genre which can not be ignored, is a family comedy. And here we can point out the film “Grandpa More Dangerous Than Computer” by Varis Brasla. The nontrivial comedy about intergenerational problems between the grandson and the grandfather becomes the main competitor of the historical drama of Viesturs Kairish “The Chronicles of Melanie” at the national award “Lielais Kristaps” in 2017, the first film in the program of the National Film Center “Latvian Films for the Centenary of Latvia” and according to critics, the best movie achievement in Latvia in many years.

It seems that the director himself was not surprised by such excitement around the film – he talks about the calm, sincere and real life of the Latvians, which meets with special warmth on the other side of the screen. First of all, viewers see themselves and Latvian provincial life in the characters. Unlike previous writings of Brasla, this action is carried out on behalf of an adult – grandfather, not a child, and it is through his lens that the cascades and funny stories of characters are shown. However, each generation will find the film funny in their own way.

“Lielie Mulki” (2020-2023)

The list can be completed with a pseudo-documentary satire — the series “Lielie Mulki”. For three seasons, mocumentary managed to win the hearts of several thousand viewers throughout Latvia. The small series shows the adventures of three best friends and other residents of the village of “Lielie Mulki”, where the life of the inhabitants of Latgale flows at its own pace, where weddings and funerals are held, while also enjoying the relationship drama.

It’s just like everywhere else, but in the Latvian way.