Pramis
Laila Pakalniņa
Latvia | 1994 | 15 min
Language : no dialogue
A ferry crosses the river. The work of the ferry is never-ending. It is a boat that transports people from one shore to another, from one country to another, without ever stopping, regardless of the changing seasons. It is a brief portrayal of Piedruja-Druja, on the border of Latvia and Belarus, at the beginning of the 1990s, when the Soviet Union began to crumble and Latvia gained its independence.
A ferry full of people used to go back and forth between Druya (Belarus) and Piedruja (Latvia). No matter the season, the weather or water conditions. It connected two parts of one community; it moved children, adults, elderly people, cars and horses. Now there is a border between two independent states, but no border crossing is contemplated here. What happens when the ferry no longer crosses the water? Nothing, nothing happens anymore. There is just a soldier left there, and he is not moving. “Life is different from words. When you officially say: ‘The border is established’, you don’t really imagine how it actually happens. But for many people it is a process of everyday life. However, it changes everything. Therefore in order to come as close to the truth as possible, I am making a film instead of using words.” Laila Pakalnina
