Many pensioners in rural Latvia live in a kind of forced co-dependence in order to survive, because they cannot afford to live alone. Ivars Zviedris’ latest documentary film”Esi uzticīgs līdz nāvei” (“Be faithful unto death”) examines this unusual social co-dependence, reports Latvian Radio’s “Kultūras Rondo” program.
The premiere of the new film took place December 1 at the “Splendid Palace” cinema. More than ten special screenings in the largest cities of Latvia are planned for the film thru December.
The documentary is a tragicomic story about a relationship that is no longer based solely on emotion but upon the need to survive, each fulfilling their roles in everyday responsibilities.
Māra and Ivars’ 24-year love has turned into co-dependence. Ivars is no longer as thin and hardworking as he once was, while Māra has lost patience with him over the years.
“I would be speculating if I named any percentages, but I know the Latvian countryside quite well and I know that a lot of pensioners live in this way – in such forced co-dependence, because on your own you will not survive at all. You can’t pay for this, you can’t pay for that, and so living together is a must. Then there is what happens in the film,” says the director.
The pair’s roles come into question when Ivars falls ill, and the scales of co-dependency tilt. Māra is faced with a difficult decision – should she end the relationship and be free, or should she remain faithful to her duty to Ivars?
“The story is about co-dependence, because I think that we have all received a dose of co-dependence in one way or another in our lives. I think this applies to all generations, not only to pensioners, but to everyone who will watch this film. I think that everyone will be able to see a part of themselves there,” says Zviedris.
The director’s entry into the lives of Ivars and Māra unwittingly contributed to the revival of their relationship with the third character of the film – their neighbor Austra, about whom a whole other story could be written.
“Austra was an eight-time world champion in parachuting, she was really a very beautiful girl in her time, you will be able to see some pictures and such in the film, but her fate is the fate of Latvia. She was deported, sent to Russia, Siberia, there she started jumping with that parachute and earned the Order of the USSR for bravery or something similar. Everyone respected her there, but she still wanted to return to Latvia. She asked for a pension for repressed persons, but it was not granted to her because she had received this medal. Such a peculiar fate,” recounts Zviedris.
It took Zviedris three years to gather the footage for the documentary. Sadly, by the time of its release, Māra is the only one of the featured trio still alive.
“I would be speculating if I named any percentages, but I know the Latvian countryside quite well and I know that a lot of pensioners live in this way – in such forced co-dependence, because on your own you will not survive at all. You can’t pay for this, you can’t pay for that, and so living together is a must. Then there is what happens in the film,” says the director.
“The story is about co-dependence, because I think that we have all received a dose of co-dependence in one way or another in our lives. I think this applies to all generations, not only to pensioners, but to everyone who will watch this film. I think that everyone will be able to see a part of themselves there,” says Zviedris.
