Solving My Mother

Raitis Ozols is a computer programmer, mathematician and occasional magician. In his private life, however, things seldom work out with much mathematical precision. His relationship with his mother Silvija is particularly complicated. He discusses his inexplicable fear of his mother with his therapist, who would prefer for Raitis to look for a wife and organize his overflowing apartment. But when Raitis reports Silvija to the police for emotional blackmail, bringing some order into his adult life becomes all the more difficult. Recording as an omnipresent, invisible presence, the camera exposes these crippled relations in long, drawn-out scenes. We witness Raitis's painful attempts to get closer to women and an awkward direct confrontation with his father, as well as a tragic attempt at celebrating Easter with his mother, brother and grandfather. The ease with which Raitis can do complex sums in his head contrasts starkly with the difficulties he experiences in his relationships. The extremely intimate footage becomes ever more excruciating, as it almost heartlessly exposes how a mother-son relationship that was destructive to start with deteriorates even further. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)