Mārcis Broks

Film takes us deep inside the world of Latvian teenagers in 90s: combining the intimate diary of a teenager Jānis trying to find himself by joining a subculture, as well as a skillful, detailed and almost documentary-like depiction of the beginnings of the second independence of Latvia. “Jelgava ’94” is a portrait of a generation in the 1990s who are searching for their own identity and are fans of alternative culture. This is a touching story about us as youngsters, when everybody is against the whole world and tries not to become “one of them”. But can one keep the promise? The story is based on the best seller by Jānis Joņevs set in the 1994 in the Latvian city of Jelgava.

Set designer Lyv, talented thirty something who lacks self-confidence, is trying for a baby with her boyish husband, but when her alcoholic father ends up unconscious in a hospital, Lyv realises how much this past relationship still impacts her everyday life.

Five twenty-somethings, in search of an authentic life, move into an isolated country house full of books. Living in the carelessness of youth, with time, practical problems and the immature nature of young people create tension. Everyone has romanticized the idea of an independent and responsibility-free life – running away from reality, they run right into it.