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Modris

Name: Modris
Director: Juris Kursietis
Released: 2014
Duration: 98 min

Representation Score

7.4/10

Good

2014

Director

Juris Kursietis

Runtime

98 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Modris is a gritty, semi-autobiographical drama that avoids the polished clichés of typical coming-of-age stories. It succeeds by deconstructing the 'hero's journey,' presenting a protagonist who navigates systemic friction rather than achieving a traditional triumph. The film's strength lies in its refusal to provide easy moral resolutions. By portraying the family and the law as flawed, oppressive entities, it challenges conventional social contracts and moral binaries. While the film lacks explicit representation of LGBTQ+ or multicultural identities, it offers deep, localized insight into the social and psychological realities of its specific Baltic setting.

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Category Breakdown

Does Modris have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The story centers around a heterosexual relationship between Modris and his girlfriend. There is no explicit focus on LGBTQ+ identities within this specific social setting.

How does Modris portray gender?

Fair

The film challenges traditional maternal archetypes by presenting a mother who uses shame and state intervention as tools of control. This provides a complex view of women's roles and influence.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Modris?

Fair

Set in a homogeneous Latvian landscape, the film avoids a multicultural cast. It focuses instead on the specificities of a post-Soviet Baltic environment and class dynamics.

How does Modris represent religion and culture?

Good

The narrative critiques traditional institutions like the family unit and the justice system. It portrays these institutions as intrusive and often dysfunctional forces.

Does Modris include disability representation?

Fair

The film explores the psychological weight of inherited trauma and 'bad genes.' It uses gambling addiction to examine behavioral compulsions and the struggle for control.

Present on Screen

Challenges traditional maternal archetypes through a complex, non-idealized portrayal of women's roles.
Provides a nuanced critique of institutional pillars like the family and the justice system.
Offers a sophisticated, non-binary exploration of morality and situational ethics.

Limited or Absent

Lacks explicit representation of LGBTQ+ identities within the narrative.
Operates within a relatively homogeneous cultural and racial landscape.
Does not focus on specific physical or neurodivergent disabilities.

Official Synopsis

A true story of a 17 going on 18 year-old boy called Modris. He’s a guy who goes to school, has a girlfriend and some good friends. He has a small gambling addiction, which makes his relationship with his mother difficult. It’s also hard because the two of them live alone and the mother doesn’t miss a chance to remind him that his father is in prison and that Modris has a bad gene. Their relationship boils over when, in the middle of a Nordic winter, Modris pawns his mother’s electric heater in trying to squeeze a win from a slot machine. She betrays him to the police and Modris is sentenced to two years’ probation. That is when his adventures with the Latvian justice system begin and he sets a new goal: to find the father he has never met.

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