WomenCinemakers vol V WomenCinemakers vol V | Page 17

The first feature film by young Latvian director Aik Kara
petian, People out there, offers quite an interesting look at
working class society. The story depicts the life of Jan, a
young struggling lower class young man who is at the edge
of a personality break down. After seeing a beautiful upper
class woman, Sabina, he starts wondering about personal
changes. He wants to get into that attractive world, but to
do that, he has to lose his friend and the environment that
shapes his character.
The main characters are shown in such a real way that
members of the audience may even wander if the actors
might actually have real connections to the world they are
portraying. They create a lifestyle that is recognisable in
every society, so everyone can find something familiar to
themselves inside this movie.
Seit ich im Jahr 2009 zum ersten Mal dort war -seit
dem jedes Jahr -wird die Zahlan Juwelen in meiner
Schatziste für besondere Personen jedes Jahr mehr
und mehr. Es ist so inspirerend zu sehen wie all diese
grossartigen Kunstler (Bodypainter, Tänzer, Musiker
..) für eine Woche im Jahr zusammenkommen und
gemeinsam neue Kunstwerke entsteben lassen. Die
Seele dieser lebendigen Kunstform, die einem schlät
und erst durch das Modell erwacht ist etwas ganz
besonderes. Das Festival ist für mich jedes Jahr eine
so spezielle aber auch in Zunkunft kein Jahr
auslassen möhte.
Erzäl uns über Deine Erfahrungen am WBF?
people feel my world as close as possible:
makes them dreaming, hiding a message of
magical thoughts of life.
One of the most interesting parts of the plot is its religious
aspect. At one point, Jan tries to find the way out his criminal
life through this source, but not only is he not ready for such
a change, the new world is also not welcoming him neither.
Discovering the true nature behind this God-worshiping
group Jan`s attempts slow down or turns into an opposite
direction.
Aik Karapetian`s vision shows us real life and characters,
he doesn’t create a fairy tale as it is clearly seen through the
film´s ending. Even though Jan´s lifestyle is barely changed,
we can’t say that there aren’t any changes at all. Jan grows
up emotionally, his relationship with his friend Craker
becomes tighter, yet at the same time he is no longer afraid
to stand against him.
The visual composition work plays a big part in this unique
realism as well. I was pleased to see dark shadows and
different angles making the story even more realistic.
The main idea that Aik Karapetian is sharing in his award-
winning movie is that there are people out there living their
lives. Some of them are good-looking and richly dressed in
expensive coats; others just steal them and try to hide all the
past and all the bad things revolving around them. And in all
of them there people inside, just waiting to be revealed in the
way that is possible to them.
Aik Karapetian
review by Ugne Cesnaviciute (Lithuania)
interview by Zowi Vermeire (The Netherlands)
nisimazine kaunas // 27