YEAR BEFORE THE WAR, THE
Special Features: U.S. Premiere
[GADS PIRMS KARA]
Inspired by the visuals of early silent cinema, this surreal, black-and-white thriller follows a hapless adventurer as he stumbles across 1913 Europe, a continent on the brink of WWI. A lowly Latvian doorman, Peter (who insists on being called Hans) wanders to the experimental, nudist Lebensreform community in Switzerland and then to imperial Vienna, finding himself embroiled in the revolutionary plans of communists, anarchists and nationalists. Along the way, he is romanced by legendary spy Mata Hari and analyzed by Sigmund Freud. Meanwhile, more notorious figures of the early 20th century reroute his journey toward a more violent path, leading Peter to commit a series of life-changing acts that alter the course of history. Official Selection, 2021 Rotterdam Film Festival. DIR/SCR Dāvis Sīmanis; SCR Tabita Rudzāte, Uldis Tīrons; PROD Roberts Vinovskis. Latvia/Lithuania/Czech Republic, 2021, b&w, 95 min. In Latvian, German, Russian and French with English subtitles. NOT RATED
No AFI Member passes accepted.
Run Time: 95 Minutes
Opening Date: Tuesday, December 14, 2021
Genre: Thriller