There is nothing left to fight for, to die for and to live for, proclaims Juris, a secondary school student, with a frankness that shocked bureaucrats and signalled the beginning of great changes. It speaks of lost ideals, of how hard it is for young people to find their place in a society that is stagnant, hypocritical and full of lies.

The film, made from the point of view of young people themselves, brought millions of people to the cinema and filled newspaper columns with fierce controversy. Only one documentary had previously been so popular – Mihhail Romm’s “Triumph Over Violence” from 20 years earlier.

The author of the film, Juris Podnieks, died tragically a few years later and the follow-up films – “Is It Easy to Be?“ and “Is It Easy“ were made by his colleagues.

An absolute pinnacle of Latvian filmmaking, restored in 2023.

Tiit Tuumalu