Milla

Somehow I'm getting soft or something, but during the last scene on the beach I could barely see the screen through my eyes. Yet from the start I wanted to criticize the film for using that tired crutch to bring the viewer closer to irrational youthful passion, namely the cancer plot. In this case, however, it's not a heavy blanket trying to add weight to the film, but really the entire plot hinges on it and everything builds from it. Whether it's the seemingly pointless exhausting love for a wild young drug addict as a way to chase as much unlived life as possible into her final moments, the "worst parenting ever" mom and dad whose motivations and questionable decisions can be understood in the context of wanting to accommodate their dying daughter, or Moses' motivation for seeing Milla, which combines emotional attachment with access to prescription drugs. Besides, Rita Kalnejais is an experienced theatre director who is aware of the traps laid for a story about a dying minor, so she is incredibly careful not to have her characters fall into the usual suffering or fatalistic patterns, so they all usually behave virtually opposite to expectations. I don't think it was probably the original intent for the greatest resolution to be ultimately given to practically the most negative character, who abuses his position to keep his surroundings drugged with tranquilizers so that he himself can have peace. But I take it as evidence of when well-written characters start to kind of come to life on their own in a script, and then their story and outcome are not entirely under the control of the writer. Coming of age, coming to death. (06/10/2020)

Smiley and impetuous Milla has so much to do before her Babyteeth fall out eventually. No one says it outright, but everyone subconsciously suspects that this charming girl will not be with them much longer. She devours life in huge mouthfuls, can't get enough of all of its aromas, hues and tastes. For the pain she experiences is an indication of how little time she has left before she becomes part of heaven. (85%) (25/09/2022)