Established Latvian director Juris Kursietis returns after the successful TV series “Soviet Jeans” with remarkable changes – a female lead protagonist and an amplified focus on music. For the very first time he has no credited composer, but instead uses stunning organ compositions performed by German actress Johanna Wokalek, who plays the role of Anna.

Returning from a groundbreaking performance in Germany, Anna’s beloved partner, a successful CEO, is arrested in light of a corruption scandal. The plot unfolds as she decides not to cancel her lavish private birthday party, where family and friends gather to see a restored 110-year-old “queen of instruments” in a local church.

The film follows Anna as she navigates her crumbling reputation, moral dilemmas, false accusations, and religious uncertainty. The restless handheld camera in “The Exalted” draws us into her emotional turmoil, as the foundation of her life collapses alongside her partner’s arrest.

Edvinas Pukšta