简介：ThisfilmisincludedintheLatvianCulturalCanon. Seeminglysimpleandunpretentious,thisisatrulyimpressivefilm,recipientoftheEuropeanFilmAcademy’sprize.Thequietlittlestreetwithitsresidentsandtheirlivesislikearaindropthatreflectstheuniverse.Thisfull-lengthdocumentaryhasreceivednotonlylocalrecognition(award“LielaisKristaps”)butalsotheEFAprizeandotherinternationalawards.Šķērsiela,an800mlongstreetontheleftbankoftheDaugavaRiver,hasservedthedocumentary’sauthorsasthesettingforaportraitofthelate1980sRiga.Thepeoplelivingonthisstreetrepresentnotonlythemselveswiththeirparticulartraits,strengthsandweaknesses,butaretypicaloftheLatviannationasawhole.Thetimingofthefilmisofessence:theSovietempireisonitslastlegs,thereisanewatmosphereofbuddingfreespeech,capitalism,andliberalism.OnŠķērsielatherearefoundboththe“proletariat”andthe“newcapitalists”whoseentrepreneurshiprangesfromaheadstonebusinesstosellinghorseradishatthemarket.ThereisTolik,borninSiberia,wherehismotherwasdeported,andhandicappedfromchildhood,hereceivesapitifulincomebygluingtogetherboxesforafactoryandisdreamingoftheunattainable—goodhealth.“Idon’tthinkIhavehadalife,”barelyholdingbacktearsandturningawayfromthecamerasayshismotherinoneofthemanyemotionalclose-ups. Tenyearslaterthesameteamshot“JaunielaikiŠķērsielā”(”TheNewErainŠķērsiela”). IvarsSeleckis(1934)startedhisfilmcareerin1963;forthemajorityoftheoverthirtyfilmshehasbeenboththedirectorandthecameraman.…