Directed by Dāvis Sīmanis • 2021 • Latvia

Europe in 1913. The world stands on the brink of a cataclysmic transformation. As the madness builds, humble Latvian doorman Peter (or is it Hans?) finds himself wandering through a continent riven with apocalyptic schemes and bizarre characters. Revolutionaries, fascists, spies, and aristocrats crowd the frame of Dāvis Sīmanis’s surreal historical thriller, which ranges from the peaks of the Swiss Alps to the imperial court of Vienna and features cameos from the likes of Lenin, Freud, Kafka, and Mata Hari. Playfully drawing from the history of silent film, Sīmanis weaves a dizzying, tragicomic tale.

THE YEAR BEFORE THE WAR • GADS PIRMS KARA
Written and directed by Dāvis Sīmanis
Cinematography by Andrej Rudzats
Starring: Petr Buchta, Lauris Dzelzitis

In Latvian, German, and Russian with English subtitles