Musician Andris Kivičs Harshly Criticises Feature Film "Uļa"
Latvian musician Andris Kivičs has sharply criticised director Viesturs Kairišs's feature film "Uļa" about basketball player Uļjana Semjonova on social media. Reader comments are split between agreement and defence of the film.
Latvian musician Andris Kivičs has publicly criticised the feature film "Uļa", directed by Viesturs Kairišs and co-created with actor Kārlis Arnolds Avots. The film is inspired by the biography of Latvian basketball player Uļjana Semjonova. His remarks have drawn mixed reactions from readers.
About the film
The film had its world premiere in the "Un Certain Regard" competition programme at the Cannes Film Festival. In August it was chosen as Latvia's candidate for the Oscar in the "Best International Feature Film" category. It is also due to be shown at film festivals abroad.
The story is based on Avots's idea about a teenage girl's search for identity. It is set in the late 1960s and follows Uļa's path from a remote farmstead in Latvia towards the chance of becoming a world-class sports figure.
Kivičs's verdict
Kivičs wrote that it was good Semjonova never saw the film. He says Kairišs's work is dominated by black-and-white misery and hopelessness, whereas in his view Uļa was a positive, happy person who, thanks to her height of 2.10 metres, saw the whole world and had wonderful experiences. The musician also complains that such filmmakers receive state funding for films about national icons, and suggests a profit motive behind it. He phrased his assessment in very harsh terms.
Readers' responses
Commenters are divided. One person involved in making the film says they watched it four times and find it emotionally powerful. Another viewer agrees with Kivičs and wanted to see more footage of the athlete's games. Others say Latvian cinema tends to be overly gloomy, while some criticise Kivičs's manner of expression.
