Best films · Europe
10 Best Latvian Movies to Watch First
Explore Latvian cinema through historical rupture, documentary observation, animation, Soviet inheritance, and the reassertion of national culture after independence.
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Compare the route at a glance
Runtime, mood, and entry level help narrow the list without replacing the editorial ranking.
| Film | Runtime | Genre | Mood | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flow | 85 min | Adventure · Animation · Family | dreamlike · adventurous | first visit · shorter watch · animation fans |
| Four White Shirts | 77 min | Drama · Music | thoughtful · uplifting | first visit · shorter watch · film history |
| Ceplis | 90 min | History · Comedy · Drama | funny · thoughtful | first visit · shorter watch · a lighter route |
| A Limousine the Colour of Midsummer's Eve | 87 min | Drama · Comedy | funny · thoughtful | shorter watch · a lighter route |
| Blizzard of Souls | 124 min | War · Drama · History | tense · thoughtful · dark | character-driven drama |
| Away | 75 min | Animation · Drama · Adventure | thoughtful · adventurous | shorter watch · animation fans |
| Mellow Mud | 105 min | Drama | thoughtful · dark | character-driven drama |
| Dawn | 92 min | Drama | thoughtful · dreamlike | shorter watch |
| The Pagan King | 110 min | History · Adventure · Action | thoughtful · adventurous | history fans |
| The Soviet Story | 86 min | Documentary · War · History | tense · thoughtful | shorter watch · documentary viewers |
10 Essential Latvian Films
Ranked native cinema in Latvia’s own creative voice.
-
1. Flow
When a great flood engulfs the world, a solitary cat is forced to share a drifting boat with an unlikely band of other animals, and together they must learn to cooperate to survive the transformed landscape. A wordless, wondrous, Oscar-winning animated adventure.
Details
- Runtime
- 85 min
- Genre
- Adventure · Animation · Family
- Mood
- dreamlike · adventurous
- Best for
- first visit · shorter watch · animation fans
-
2. Four White Shirts
A young Latvian musician who installs telephones by day and writes pop songs by night runs afoul of Soviet cultural censors who won't let his band perform. A wry, once-banned drama about art and control behind the Iron Curtain.
Details
- Runtime
- 77 min
- Genre
- Drama · Music
- Mood
- thoughtful · uplifting
- Best for
- first visit · shorter watch · film history
-
3. Ceplis
In 1920s Latvia, an ambitious wheeler-dealer launches a brick-making company that promises riches, drawing in eager investors — until the scheme's shaky foundations begin to crack. A satirical period comedy of greed and speculation.
Details
- Runtime
- 90 min
- Genre
- History · Comedy · Drama
- Mood
- funny · thoughtful
- Best for
- first visit · shorter watch · a lighter route
-
4. A Limousine the Colour of Midsummer's Eve
When a lonely old countrywoman wins a car in a lottery that she cannot even drive, long-absent relatives suddenly descend on her, all angling to inherit the prize. A gently satirical Latvian comedy about family and greed.
Details
- Runtime
- 87 min
- Genre
- Drama · Comedy
- Mood
- funny · thoughtful
- Best for
- shorter watch · a lighter route
-
5. Blizzard of Souls
A sixteen-year-old Latvian boy, his young life shattered by the outbreak of World War I, enlists in a national battalion and is swept into the horrors of the trenches and the fight for his homeland. A sweeping, sobering war epic.
Details
- Runtime
- 124 min
- Genre
- War · Drama · History
- Mood
- tense · thoughtful · dark
- Best for
- character-driven drama
Content notes: war or political violence
-
6. Away
After surviving a plane crash on a mysterious island, a young man sets out on a long, solitary trek across forests, deserts, and mountains, pursued by a looming dark spirit. A hand-crafted, wordless animated odyssey.
Details
- Runtime
- 75 min
- Genre
- Animation · Drama · Adventure
- Mood
- thoughtful · adventurous
- Best for
- shorter watch · animation fans
-
7. Mellow Mud
Orphaned by their father's death and abandoned by their mother, two Latvian siblings live under their domineering grandmother — until a sudden turn forces the teenage sister to take desperate measures to hold their fragile life together. A tender coming-of-age drama.
Details
- Runtime
- 105 min
- Genre
- Drama
- Mood
- thoughtful · dark
- Best for
- character-driven drama
Content notes: child harm or distress
-
8. Dawn
Inspired by the Soviet propaganda myth of a boy who denounced his own father to the secret police, this stark, stylized black-and-white film reimagines the story as a chilling parable of collectivism and betrayal. A striking formal experiment.
Details
- Runtime
- 92 min
- Genre
- Drama
- Mood
- thoughtful · dreamlike
- Best for
- shorter watch
-
9. The Pagan King
In the 13th century, a young man unexpectedly inherits the crown of a Baltic tribe and must find the strength to unite his people against the invading crusaders bent on conquering their land. A sweeping historical action epic.
Details
- Runtime
- 110 min
- Genre
- History · Adventure · Action
- Mood
- thoughtful · adventurous
- Best for
- history fans
-
10. The Soviet Story
This provocative documentary draws stark parallels between the crimes of the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, arguing that Stalin's regime committed mass atrocities on an industrial scale. A polemical historical exposé.
Details
- Runtime
- 86 min
- Genre
- Documentary · War · History
- Mood
- tense · thoughtful
- Best for
- shorter watch · documentary viewers
Content notes: violence or threat
The view from outside
10 Best Movies Set in or About Latvia
Follow outside films about occupation, Baltic memory, musicians, migration, and contested history, with Latvia treated as more than a regional shorthand.
- Düğün Dernek 2013
- Coup de Grâce 1976
- Meine Mütter - Spurensuche in Riga 2007
Selected by the FilmsAroundThe.World editorial desk
Ranked for craft, enduring reputation, influence, and importance within Latvia cinema. Decision labels are concise editorial aids, and content notes are non-exhaustive. Read the methodology.
Editorial review: 2026-07-13
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