Blizzard of Souls

Considering the budget cast is working with.. its very well made. Acting on other hand.. Could have been better but in general enjoyable movie to watch.

This Latvian film depicts hell on the battlegrounds through the eyes of a sixteen-year-old boy named Arturs during World War l. In this period of time, I learned that the Latvians had been infringed and butchered by neighboring countries such as Germany and Russia. To gain freedom, even children had to fight with rifles in their hands and their innocent blood was spilt. Although the overall style of this film is rather subdued, it conveys the pain and the horror the boy experiences very intensely. Even the battle scenes aren't overly dramatic which makes the film more realistic. Very sad yet a powerful story to watch.

Based on true events and the novel by Aleksandrs Grins, it is a moving story of friendships and strong camaraderie amongst the soldiers in the WW1 battlefields of Latvia (part of old Russia in 1915). Undaunted by guns, grenades, snipers, bayonets, blizzards, and all the bloody horrors of WW1 ... fearless Latvians were proud to defend their homeland from the Germans.

Young actors and engaging characters make compelling watching. The Isle of Death and Christmas fights. I usually do not like war movies (bloodshed) but after 30 mins of viewing, I was hooked. l had to watch it to the end just to see what happened to the FRIENDS who fought TOGETHER - HEROES OF LATVIA. Historically, 1.2M Latvians died in that war. Not telling if the boy hero Arturs, or any of his friends survived the war ... but you might need a hanky at the end of the movie.

I'm buying the video from Amazon Prime, as it really is a good movie that you could and would want to watch again, unlike most war films which are too grisly gore fests. It premiered with Screen International on-line screenings yesterday. Good luck to cast and crew with this year's Oscars.

A moving story of teenager, who joins army to fight for his people, and his coming-of age against the backdrop of terrors of first World War I, then Russian revolution and finally Latvian War of Independence. A film making at its best, and an especially moving story for Latvians, as it all really happened just a hundred years ago, a birth of our nation state.

Latvia, the playground of other nations. A small country suffering from the war. You don't often get to see something cinematic from Latvia. And this film in particular can compete with greats in the world. Even if the budget has certainly lost some of its visual power, it is intense and always believable.

Due to the low budget, the film is full of ingenuity. Especially seeing the fight scenes without pompous music is just very stressful and looks very real.

Unfortunately from the second third the film loses its speed and its emotional connection to the viewer. It becomes banal and harmless. In addition, the actors are sometimes not very convincing. Still absolutely worth seeing.