Oleg / Oļegs
Latvia, Belgium, Lithuania, France 2019
Directed by Juris Kursietis, drama, 108 min, eng subtitles, 16+
Written by Juris Kursietis
With Valentin Novopolskij, Dawid Ogrodnik, Anna Próchniak, Adam Szyszkowski, Guna Zariņa
Oleg is an emigrant from Latvia working in Belgium. As a result of an accident at work and a false accusation, he loses his job at a meat factory and is forced to figure out quickly some alternative. He then meets Andrzej, a Polish guy, who seems to have a cure for his problems. This acquaintance, however, will not turn out that well. The director of Modris (CinEast 2015), Juris Kursietis focuses on the challenges faced by immigrants in Europe and points out the hardships and abuse faced on a daily basis by less economically privileged European citizens.
Based on real-life events, this gripping, socially sensitive drama on modern-day slavery portrays its characters and their harsh reality in a highly convincing way, while skilfully weaving in dream-like sequences. Presented as world premiere in the Director's Fortnight at Cannes Film Festival.
Awards:
Cannes FF 2019 (Director's Fortnight)