Mother, I Love You

MOTHER, I LOVE YOU tells the precarious story of Raimonds, a confused 12-year-old boy who always seems to get into trouble. He lives with his mom, a rough and emotionally unavailable woman who's overworked and unsatisfied with her life. With Raimonds often being the target of her frustrations, their relationship is distant, at best. His buddy Peteris is in a similar predicament, and they swap stories of the brutal punishments they've received. When the boys decide to sneak into a rich man's apartment, everything spirals out of control. Raimonds finds himself tangled in a web that reaches far beyond his usual hijinks—this time it's not just the wrath of his mother he has to fear. Furthermore, the situation could destroy his bond with Peteris, who happens to be his only friend. Brilliantly directed, MOTHER, I LOVE YOU captures fear from the angle of a preteen, magnifying every little detail to larger-than-life proportions. It's also an intense examination of how a lack of love and attention can send a child down the wrong path. (In Latvian with subtitles) —E.F.