directed by Laila Pakalnina, drama, thriller, 96 min, eng subtitles
written by Laila Pakalnina
with Wiktor Zborowski, Vilnis Daudziņš, Andris Keišs, Antons Georgs Grauds, Liene Šmukste
“Dawn” is an absurd, beautifully stylised tragicomedy in which the Latvian film-maker Laila Pakalniņa revisits a soviet-era propaganda story about a young pioneer who denounced his anti-communist father to the secret police and was in turn killed by his family. In this film the boy is called Jānis and he lives in a collective farm commune together with his rebellious father. Indoctrinated to believe in the future utopia promised by the communist system, Jānis betrays his father who plans to burn down the commune's headquarters, and tragic repercussions follow. Apart from its farcical and grotesque visual language, the film is a reminder of the dangers of becoming a cog in the wheel of political systems.
Awards:
The Mirror IFF 2016 (Tarkovsky Prize for Visual Concept)
Fajr IFF 2016 (“Art and Experience” trophy for Best Feature Film)
Tallinn Black Nights FF 2016 (Best Cinematographer)