January

2022

1 hr. 35 min.

Drama

Biography

List

100%

9 Reviews

Tomatometer

It is 1991 in Latvia and nineteen-year-old aspiring cinematographer Jazis's whole world is thrown into chaos as he is dragged into the people’s peaceful protests against the Soviet Army’s attempted takeover of power in his country. "January" is an autobiographical take on the political upheaval in the early 1990s that changed the lives of the people of the former Soviet Union. Jazis and his friends Anna and Zeps are all aspiring filmmakers, trying to pursue their dreams of making movies and enjoy the freedom of young adulthood, when the collapse of the political system in the region upends their plans, family ties and friendship. Their experience and participation in the nonviolent people's resistance by construction of barricades and human shields becomes the defining moment in their coming-of-age.

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Viesturs Kairiss

Director

Karlis Arnolds Avots

Jazis

Sandis Runge

Actor

Baiba Broka

Actor

Aleksas Kazanavicius

Actor

Juhan Ulfsak

Actor

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Larushka Ivan-Zadeh

Times (UK)

January is laden with potent metaphors that might be less impenetrable if you’re fully clued-up on Bulgaria’s post-communist transition — or might not. Ultimate unknowability is the endgame.

Rated: 3/5

Feb 14, 2023

Full Review

Dennis Harvey

Variety

The disparate elements manage to hang together more than not, one binding factor being Juste Janulyte’s frequently interesting original score.

Jun 11, 2022

Full Review

Frank J. Avella

Awards Daily

January is a testament to how even indifferent youth can be galvanized into fighting for a cause.

Rated: B

Dec 27, 2022

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Gary M. Kramer

MovieJawn

January is a personal story told with style and heart.

Jul 15, 2022

Full Review

Daniel Gorman

In Review Online

Kairišs’ talent is in suggesting all of these meanings with just an image, fully aware of its power as both metaphor and political tool. This is sharp, invigorating filmmaking.

Jun 23, 2022

Full Review

Amber Wilkinson

Screen International

A spiky punk energy drives this semi-autobiographical tale of first love and a search for identity that plays out against the turbulent backdrop of Latvia’s 1991 fight for independence.

Jun 22, 2022

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Synopsis

It is 1991 in Latvia and nineteen-year-old aspiring cinematographer Jazis's whole world is thrown into chaos as he is dragged into the people’s peaceful protests against the Soviet Army’s attempted takeover of power in his country. "January" is an autobiographical take on the political upheaval in the early 1990s that changed the lives of the people of the former Soviet Union. Jazis and his friends Anna and Zeps are all aspiring filmmakers, trying to pursue their dreams of making movies and enjoy the freedom of young adulthood, when the collapse of the political system in the region upends their plans, family ties and friendship. Their experience and participation in the nonviolent people's resistance by construction of barricades and human shields becomes the defining moment in their coming-of-age.

Director: Viesturs Kairiss
Screenwriter: Viesturs Kairiss, Andris Feldmanis, Livia Ulman
Production Co: Staron Film, Artbox, Mistrus Media, Latvian Film Fund
Genre: Drama, Biography
Original Language: Lithuanian