The Nest

A young couple of biologists and their two children move from Riga to a nature reserve where they're provided with an old country cottage. They start to repair the cottage and feel at home, but the former owner of the house suddenly returns from Canada. When he realises that the present inhabitants have kept the spirit of the place alive, he gives up his rights to the cottage. The film then concentrates on him coming to terms with his memories of his time as a guerilla, when he found his first love, his 'sister-in-arms', who betrayed him fifty years ago. The film also investigates the relationship between the young biologists and nature, and the process of reaching adulthood. The title of the film, The Nest, stands for the surroundings of living nature (the forest, the marshes, the coast) and more generally for the small fatherland that has to maintain its position among great powers such as Russia, Germany and America: countries that largely shape the fate of the characters.

Directed by Aivars Freimanis, The Nest leans on a strong ensemble — Dace Bonāte, Valdis Lūriņš, Ingmārs Freimanis — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1995.