Dawn

Dawn

2015 · 92 min · ★ 7.5 · Drama

Based on a Soviet propaganda story about Young Pioneer (the Soviet equivalent of a Boy Scout) Morozov, who denounced his father to Stalin’s secret police and was in turn killed by his family. His life exemplified the duty of all good Soviet citizens to become informers, at any expense. In our film, 75 years later, we call him little Janis. He is a Pioneer who lives on the Soviet collective farm “Dawn”. His father is an enemy of the farm (and the Soviet system) and plots against it. Little Janis betrays his father; his father takes revenge upon his son. Who then in this old Soviet tale is good and who is bad? This film reveals that a distorted brain is always dangerous. Even today.

Directed by Laila Pakalnina · Written by Laila Pakalnina

Your Rating

Cast

Antons Georgs Grauds Little Janis
Vilis Daudziņš Little Janis' Father
Wiktor Zborowski Karl Ivanovitš
Āris Rozentāls Karl Ivanovitš (voice)
Andris Keišs Jekabs Kalnins
Liena Šmukste Mirdza Ozolina
Ģirts Krūmiņš Joosep Ozolin
Rūdolfs Plēpis Narrator
Ivars Brakovskis Doctor
Beatrise Gulbe Pioneer
Gatis Gāga Karl Ivanovitš's Assistant
Uldis Lieldidzs Teacher

Make it a double feature

2h together

Dawn

Martin

Both from Laila Pakalnina.

More from Laila PakalninaSee all →

Annas Ziemassvētki

Annas Ziemassvētki · 1992

Annas Ziemassvētki

Little Anna is waiting for her first Christmas.

Hello, Horse!

Hello, Horse! · 2017

MovieDocumentary

A film about everything changing while remaining the same. Or rather – everything remaining the same while changing. We observed this (and wanted to share) while standing (standing regularly and for a long time) on a road rather close to the Eastern border of Latvia, because we followed the suggestion of the locals who asked to shoot “that horrible road”.

Martin

MovieDocumentary

A film about the daily life of Martin, a handicapped child who will always be dependent on his parents. Ever since he was very small, Martin has had to get around in a wheelchair and has needed the constant help of an adult. Martin’s parents, Inga and Andris Skesteri, tell about their life, about their son’s character and about their hopes for the future.

The First Bridge

The First Bridge · 2020

The First Bridge

MovieDocumentary

The First Bridge is a film about frontiers, barriers, the ways to cross over and see what goes on, on the other side. But it also a film about time, as it was shot on Kodak Negative Films acquired in the year 1997 and discovered intact in 2018.

Papa Gena

Papa Gena · 2001

MovieDocumentary

It is what it is. One needs a reason to get a passer-by to stop in their tracks and stand in front of the camera for a while. In this case the reason was - Mozart.

The Ferry

The Ferry · 1994

MovieDocumentary

The ferry crosses the river, transporting people from one shore to the other, from one country to another. It runs year round, never stopping. The footage was filmed on the Latvian-Belarussian border in the early 1990s - a time when the Soviet Union began to crumble and Latvia regained its independence.

33 Animals of Santa Claus

33 Animals of Santa Claus · 2011

33 Animals of Santa Claus

MovieDocumentary

Santa Claus lives on the fourth floor of an apartment block. Santa owns seven dogs, six cats, two rabbits, one crow, one pigeon, one chinchilla, one guinea pig, ten degus and some fish.

The Mail

The Mail · 1995

MovieDocumentary

The morning begins when the mail is delivered - this has been a tradition for almost an eternity. This film looks at daily things, daily movements, daily life and the daily routines of the postman, which are nevertheless meaningful to those who await and receive newspapers and letters.

Visions of Europe

Visions of Europe · 2004

Visions of Europe

MovieDocumentaryComedy

Twenty-five films from twenty-five European countries by twenty-five European directors.

The Shoe

The Shoe · 1998

MovieComedyDrama

The late 1950s. Every night, Soviet tractors comb the coast of Latvia looking for signs of anyone who could have infiltrated the Soviet border from the sea. One morning, three Soviet patrolmen discover a woman’s shoe in the sand and footsteps leading to the quaint little village of Liepaja.

On Rubik's Road

On Rubik's Road · 2010

On Rubik's Road

MovieDocumentary

Rubiks’ Road is a bicycle path built in the 1980s and named after Alfreds Rubiks, leader of the Latvian Communist party at the time. One of the most ferocious opposers to Latvia’s independence in the early 1990s and later elected to the European Parliament.

Spoon

MovieDocumentary

A film about a plastic spoon and a society that has reached a high level of development – oil is being retrieved from subterranean depths, transported to processing plants, turned into plastic, transported to another plant, where it acquires the shape of a spoon, transported to convenience stores, where we buy it, and is then soon tossed into the trash. In other words, this is a film about the efforts put into making a spoon that can be thrown away so effortlessly.

The Water (Elements)

The Water (Elements) · 2006

The Water (Elements)

Maria decides to go for a swim in the pool even though it looks deserted and she’s warned that the water is cold. When she gets into the pool she is faced with not only the frigid water, but with her other feelings as well. Like fear.

Scarecrows

Scarecrows · 2026

MovieDocumentary

Those of us who fly in airplanes probably don’t think about those who fly through Riga Airport on their own wings. But on any given day, up to 30,000 birds might visit the airport. And it would only take one… Airport wildlife control employee Mareks would like to go to church and light a candle for luck before he goes to work every day. In fact, all of us need that luck – it’s just that we’re not aware of it. Maybe that’s a good thing. Understanding wildlife that might turn up at the airport and making sure that the paths of birds, animals and airplanes don’t cross is a very real job.

Hey, Rasma!

Hey, Rasma! · 2015

MovieDocumentary

Just like ordinary people, whole nations often wonder why their neighbors are living better than they are. For example, where did the Estonians living on Mohni Island suddenly get bicycles and sewing machines? Could the answer have some connection with the Latvian cargo ship "Rasma", which sank near Mohni in 1941?

Termini

Termini · 2024

MovieDocumentary

The intimacy of passing by. Heading home, to work, to see a friend, to buy dinner, or perhaps to the cinema. As the seasons change, we encounter fellow passengers along the way. They commute, sit, wait, get bored, maybe sometimes stare at their small screens more than through the windows – but they always reach their destination. Alongside them are kiosk vendors, vegetable and flower sellers, janitors, and drivers, whose daily routines complement the journeys of the travellers. Public transport stops become intimate crossroads, offering us an unexpected, moving visual symphony of Riga neighbourhoods.

More Like This

Copying Beethoven

Copying Beethoven · 2006

Copying Beethoven

A fictionalised exploration of Beethoven's life in his final days working on his Ninth Symphony. It is 1824. Beethoven is racing to finish his new symphony. However, it has been years since his last success and he is plagued by deafness, loneliness and personal trauma. A copyist is urgently needed to help the composer. A fictional character is introduced in the form of a young conservatory student and aspiring composer named Anna Holtz. The mercurial Beethoven is skeptical that a woman might become involved in his masterpiece but slowly comes to trust in Anna's assistance and in the end becomes quite fond of her. By the time the piece is performed, her presence in his life is an absolute necessity. Her deep understanding of his work is such that she even corrects mistakes he has made, while her passionate personality opens a door into his private world.

Whale Rider

Whale Rider · 2003

MovieDramaFamily

A contemporary story of love, rejection, and triumph as a young Māori girl fights to fulfill a destiny her grandfather refuses to recognize.

Take My Eyes

Take My Eyes · 2003

MovieRomanceDrama

One winter night, Pilar runs away from home. With her, she takes only a few belongings and her son, Juan. Antonio soon sets out to look for her. He says Pilar is his sunshine, and what's more, "She gave him her eyes"...

The Virgin Suicides

The Virgin Suicides · 2000

The Virgin Suicides

MovieDramaRomance

A group of male friends become obsessed with five mysterious sisters who are sheltered by their strict, religious parents.

Radiance

Radiance · 2017

MovieRomanceDrama

The story follows the social intercourse between a cameraman, Masaya, with a visual impairment, and Misako who disconnects from the world.

The Story of the Weeping Camel

The Story of the Weeping Camel · 2004

The Story of the Weeping Camel

MovieDocumentaryDrama

When a Mongolian nomadic family's newest camel colt is rejected by its mother, a musician is needed for a ritual to change her mind.

Frida

MovieDramaRomance

A biography of artist Frida Kahlo, who channeled the pain of a crippling injury and her tempestuous marriage into her work.

Me and You and Everyone We Know

Me and You and Everyone We Know · 2005

Me and You and Everyone We Know

MovieComedyDrama

Single dad Richard meets Christine, a starving artist who moonlights as a cabbie. They awkwardly attempt to start a romance, but Richard’s divorce has left him emotionally damaged. Meanwhile, Richard’s sons—one a teenager, the other 6-years-old—take part in clumsy experiments with the opposite sex.

The Cave of the Yellow Dog

The Cave of the Yellow Dog · 2005

The Cave of the Yellow Dog

The little nomad girl, Nansal, finds a baby dog in the Mongolian veld, who becomes her best friend - against all rejections of her parents. A story about a Mongolian family of nomads - their traditional way of life and the rising call of the City.

A Real Young Girl

A Real Young Girl · 1976

A Real Young Girl

MovieRomanceDrama

Reluctantly, a sulky adolescent returns to her parents' house for yet another boring summer vacation, dabbling in desire and the art of desirability, eventually mixing reality with vision, caged fantasies with the fierce female sexuality.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter