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Double Portrait of a Coin (Monētas dubultportrets, 2008) Director: Romualds Pipars Presentation: Using amateur footage filmed by common Latvian people, Double Portrait of a Coin is a real look at life in Soviet controlled Latvia. These haunting images reveal the incredible hardships, and simple joys, of life in Latvia under the reign of the Soviet Union. Stalinist Latvia was like a two-headed coin, where the official morals of the government contradicted the day-to-day ethics of the common people. Where the tyrannical soviet leaders sought control, the people of Latvia longed only for a free world where they could love, hope, and dream of a better life built by their own hands. Now, through footage shot by these brave men and women on 8mm cameras, we can see their struggles first hand. This compilation of true historical footage is presented by Romulads Pipars, a major name in the Latvian film industry. He shows, with touching poignancy, the real lives of the Latvian people in these hard times: we see babies take their first steps, young lovers picking flowers on their last days of school, the secret celebrations of official holidays, and through these simple experiences. Synopsis: Using previously unreleased footage shot by amateurs in the era of 8mm cameras, the film reveals an unseen chapter of Latvian history. Double Portrait of a Coin is a documentary about the simple human lives, and loves, and hopes, and dreams, of the generation that lived in Soviet Latvia. |
