International premiere

Lovable

Local title
Kullake
Original title
Milulis
Director
Staņislavs Tokalovs
Country
Latvia, Estonia
Year
2022
Programme
Baltic Film Competition
Genre
drama
Subject
interpersonal relationships, youth

Career, loyalty, power, wealth or love? A promising future, accidental opportunities, contrasting values and radical priorities for individualistic kids from a generation of independence and freedom. Cynical troublemaker Matiss does not stop at anything to gain personal advantages and to benefit from legal loopholes to cheat, manipulate and blackmail.

A charming and handsome debt collector gets into a steamy affair with wealthy older businesswoman Agate. A fatal traffic accident leads Mattis to an intersection of dirty choices. The hungry jackal smells an easy opportunity to get rich, but the sole co-inhabitant of Agate’s posh house is her legal heir, the 9-year-old pianist daughter Paula. With each subsequent decision, the deceivingly humble, naïve and shy Mattis unleashes a merciless, brutal, confident and immoral monster determined to betray, backstab and suffer. Charlatan Mattis trusts no one but himself like a stray dog.

In an incredibly chameleonic transformation (compared to “January’s”), Kārlis Arnold Avota shows his wide range of acting skills and abilities. His grippingly resplendent performance is masterfully observed by the brilliant Romanian cinematographer Oleg Mutu, who boldly contributes to the visualisation of the modern Wild West with unusually fast and rich atmospheric shots.

Edvinas Pukšta

Director
Staņislavs Tokalovs
Screenwriter
Staņislavs Tokalovs, Waldemar Kalinowski
Cast
Kārlis Arnolds Avots, Paula Labāne, Kristīne Krūze, Indra Roga, Andris Keišs
Producer
Aija Bērziņa
DoP
Oleg Mutu
Editor
Stefan Stabenov
Composer
Erki Pärnoja
Production
Tasse Film, Stellar Film, Avanpost Media
World sales
Tasse Film
Runtime
Language
Latvian, Russian
Subtitles
English
Director
Staņislavs Tokalovs

Stanislavs Tokalovs has acquired a Directors degree in Raindance Film School, London. His short film A Little Longer (2015) won the National Best Short Film award in 2015 and has been to various film festivals around the world. His first feature What Nobody Can See (2017) premiered at Moscow Film Festival and has been to over 15 film festivals around the world. Now he is finishing his second feature film Lovable and getting his Master’s degree in film in Latvian Academy of Culture in Riga.

Filmograafia Mikhail Tal. From a Far (2015, doc), Tas, ko vini neredz (What Nobody Can See, 2017), Milulis (Lovable, 2022)

Screenings

9th Hall Apollo Kino Coca-Cola Plaza
Screening120701 / Kullake
SubtitlesEnglish
Q&A guestsStanislavs Tokalovs (Film Director, Screenwriter), Gunda Bergmane (Producer), Elina Loss (Production Manager), Karlis Arnolds Avots (Actor)
Q&A duration
Screening duration
6th Hall Apollo Kino Coca-Cola Plaza
Screening150402 / Kullake
SubtitlesEnglish
Screening duration
Hall 2 Kino Artis
Screening161601 / Kullake
SubtitlesEnglish
Screening duration
Trailer
Q&A with the filmmaker