Anete Melece's graduation film, The Kiosk, is set in Riga, the capital of Latvia, the young director's home country. Although the kiosk in the film was inspired by an abandoned old kiosk in that city, the action could take place in any major town in the world. We see the same unpleasant attributes that are common to all: pollution, noise and dreary facades. In this glum atmosphere, Olga stands out as a ray of sunshine. Comfortably nestled between the four walls of her kiosk with its colourful front, this coquettish, curvaceous lady sells newspapers, magazines, sweets and trinkets, and also listens attentively to the small misfortunes of passersby.
With her good nature and warm smile, Olga is able to reassure them. But the thing is, the world isn’t always so kind back to her: she has to put up with screaming children, cigarette smoke, bad moods and rudeness. Worst of all, Olga is bored. Terribly bored. So she dreams of glowing suns and idyllic beaches. But as a result of constantly nibbling on crisps behind her drawn curtain, the good lady can no longer even leave her kiosk. It clings to her skin until the day a happy coincidence enables her to go travelling.
From the moment Olga succeeds in making things happen, a great reversal occurs. Whereas she had been the one watching the world go by before her eyes, now that she can move around she becomes the centre of attention. Tourists take pictures of her while others, as soon as they see here, check that they are not hallucinating. And there are indeed things that need to be understood: for just as there are one-man bands, Olga has become a kiosk-woman. To be precise: a kiosk-woman who doesn’t let anyone walk all over her – nor over her shopfront. If you bother her, she ups and moves!
The first shot of the film is from Olga's point of view, perched behind the shutters of her small business. The title, The Kiosk, disappears, sliding up the screen like a shutter being raised. In a minimalist style combining dull flat tints and bursts of colour, along with some inspiration from collage and certain elements rendered with a single line — such as the smoke from the exhaust pipes, the hair, the dog's leash that tangles into a single squiggle — Anette Melece humorously invites us to discover Olga's surprising journey. The characters' voices are reduced to an indistinct chatter, with only a few words being made out.This enhances the comical aspect of the short film, but also exposes an urban lifestyle where people struggle to get along. This urban tale is a lighthearted reminder that we are all, in one way or another, stuck in routines that don't suit us, to the point that we sometimes forget that all it takes is a step back to live more in tune with our desires.
