Renata Litvinova, Valeri Todorovski
Country of the Deaf
Reżyseria: Alvis Hermanis
Jaunais Rīgas teātris (Riga, Latvia)
Wednesday, 4.06.2024 | at 7:30pm
CKK Jordanki, al. Solidarności 1-3
Earphones: Polish, English
A gritty romantic thriller about the friendship of two women: Yaya, a deaf dancer, and Rita, working for the Russian mafia. The girls become embroiled in a violent clash between two rival gangs, one with hearing and one without. Yaya offers Rita an escape to an imaginary land of silence, where they will be safe. In the play from Latvia, Čulpana Hamatova returns to the role of Rita, which she played in Valeri Todorovski’s film of the same title. The stage version is based on the film and the novel by Renata Litvinova (who left Russia after the outbreak of the war, condemned the aggression and now lives in Paris). The story of the deaf mafia in Moscow takes on a contemporary layer of meaning to the story. Eight of Hrmanis productions have already been featured at the KONTAKT festival: Marquise de Sade in 1994, The Seagull in 1997, Latvian Stories and Sonya in 2007, The Sound of Silence in 2008, Martha from the Blue Hill and Grandfather in 2010, and Black Milk in 2012. His Sonya had won the 3rd Prize whereas Hermanis himself received the Best Director Award. In the years following The Sound of Silence, Martha from the Green Hill and Grandfather each won the Grand Prix at the Kontakt festival while Hermanis was honoured with the title of Best Director again.
Director: Alvis Hermanis
Running time: 2h 30 (one interval)
Photography: Janis Deinats
