Ljudi tam

Jan is a young man of about 20 who lives with his grandfather in a dreary housing complex on the outskirts of town. He and his best friend Cracker just hang out smoking weed, occasionally making a little cash on the side through petty theft. But then one evening Jan meets and becomes enchanted by the beautiful, high-class Sabina, and his mundane life gets thrown for a loop. He takes a liking to the lifestyle of the golden, pampered kids he meets, and he longs to penetrate society’s upper echelons. The desire for love and a better life pulls him from his resignation and goads him to fight against the hopelessness of his situation. Latvian director and screenwriter Aik Karapetian’s raw debut drama contemplates the notion that environment determines a person’s character. The filmmaker asks whether a person can break free of this environment and, if so, at what cost. Thanks to the dynamic editing and the use of hand-held camera, the filmmakers succeeded in capturing the atmosphere of the “prefab jungle” where, in the end, there is no one else to rely on but yourself. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)