16th PÖFF: Mona review

Not your ordinary fairy tale

"Mona” is a long awaited feature film by one the most internationally acclaimed Latvian documentary director Inara Kolmane. As a film that has been 7 years in the making and one of four films released in Latvia this year a great pressure is forcing itself upon this debut`s unelikely success.

Review by Ra Ragnar Novod 

This modern fairy tale set in a long forgotten rural town follows a conflicted love story between arrogant prince Tomass (famous Lithuanian actor Saulius Balandis) and a femme fatale princess Mona (rising star Kristine Belicka). Kolmane as a documentary director knows exactly how to maintain balance between realism and fiction. The way she frames the shots, edits the scenes and introduces the characters make it feel real and true. As a result the very vivid and dream like fairy tale elements can`t properly work their way into the story. Kolmane succeeds in telling a rapidly changing modern love story about the choice between what we deserve or need in order to keep on going. 

The forgotten ones 

The story begins like any other fairy tale. A handsome prince Tomass arrives in the village. Meeting a young and mysterious beauty Mona he is determined to save her from this wretched life and planning to bring her to his kingdom. First obstacles arise when the girl refuses to his charms and the whole village slowly turns against him. The realistic undertone comes in when we first see the forgotten and half-empty town. The realism is quickly contrasted with travesty filled with runaway cows and frequent heavy metal parties. The prince came to this god forsaken place after the old owner of a big mansion dies and his inheritage went straight to unwelcome Tomass, a imperious big shot from the capital city Riga. 

Not every fairy tale ends well

The mysterious and enigmatic Mona is in the center of everything. She is what most men want – beautiful and sexy fling. She has three choices: a businessman from big city, local thugish butcher or a former war hero, but now a drunkard. The butcher wants to have her, the drunkard wants to marry her and the businessman needs to own and then save her. The truth lies in her wish to be what they actually need – lover and a partner. The problem also lies somewhere else. She doesn`t know what she wants from life and when she eventually does all the men in her life are already broken, beaten or scarred. 

They way Mona lingers between lust and love, dreams and wishes creates a kind of unexplainable aura around her. In greek “Mona” means “solitary” or “one”. She indeed is solitary. This kind of puzzling and always moving storytelling leaves a feeling of unease. There is always the idea that even after all the events between her and the men in her life. She as a person remains a mistery. A beautiful mistery. 

People get hurt, discoveries about Mona`s past are made and several stories interwine with deadly concequences, but still the attitude towards Tomass or any other character remains on the same level as the first impression of them. The drama, the suspense, the fairy tale and the tragedy is all there. All that is missing is the feeling of captivating experience.