In rural Latvia, 17-year-old Raya and her younger brother Robis have endured a traumatic childhood. Following the death of their father, they have had to cope with being abandoned by their mother. Living with an acidic grandmother they lead a life with no comforts and precious little affection. The alternative to a harsh existence in a run-down farmhouse is being sent to an orphanage. When her grandmother unexpectedly dies Raya is forced to become protector of her younger brother. To prevent the pair being taken into care she buries her grandmother in a neighbouring field.
“I thought to myself, how come that in Latvia we have done so many films about those who leave and how they cope with life there and I realised it is kind of unfair that we don't have any film that would look at the other side of the coin – what is happening with those who stay. That was the starting point.” (Renārs Vimba)
Renārs Vimba
Born in 1975 in Riga, Latvia, Vimba studied film directing and cinematography at the Latvian Academy of Culture in Riga and the Baltic Film and Media School in Tallinn. From his student work to his awarded short films he has been showing a knack for storytelling and bringing characters to life. Mellow Mud is Vimba's first fiction feature film.