This is opinion of GREEK students.
Essay on the Latvian film “Modris”
Modris is a young Latvian, who lives with his mother. He knows that his father is in prison and every time he shows a delinquent behavior his mother threatens him with his own ending up in prison. Definitely his home environment is too poor from guiding and sentimental/monetary needs cover so young Modris seems to be almost alone in the world, having only himself to lead his actions.
He seems to be a clever boy that needed a stable home support, parents to be there in his worries, people to look into his soul and his mind, every time, every moment until he is able to stand on his feet. This isn’t the case in Modris’ life. So he develops dangerous habits by trying to earn money playing tricks on gambling machines thus following the way of easy profit. Once he starts it is not easy to stop. He doesn’t dare stealing things from his house in order to find money to gabble.
He has a special skill in graphics and he could have been oriented towards to studying in visual arts and drawing or decoration of buildings and he could have had a brilliant or at least a decent future. On the opposite his skills have been ignored, nobody paying attention of his abilities and potentials. Laws also seem to be to be a little bit strict in Latvia, perhaps in order to prevent illegal behavior. It is unbelieved that he could be fined because he drank beer or smoked a cigarette in the street. Courts should be a little more flexible when applying the low to teenagers as it seems that no institution can correct behaviors of young people breaking the law, instead they seem to be schools to illegality giving every information and chance for becoming addicted to crime.
Modris mother shouldn’t have asked for the police or in case she did, she should have told the police just to warn him about the consequence of his action. She should have tried to talk with her some while he was still a kid, because she seems never to have spared time for him. In his teens she lost all control of him. Modris seems to be a stranger with his mother. He also seems that he lack his father. He is doing plans to find him by looking for him in prisons. Finally he discovers that his father isn’t in prison but he is a free man working for a company as a crane driver.
We don’t know much about his father and why he didn’t become part of their life, whether he was already a married man or just didn’t want to undertake responsibilities of a marriage or even if he didn’t know his existence at all. When Modris ends up in prison, his father appears, perhaps being informed by his mother who maybe thought that she didn’t have any other mean to face the problem. Definitely thinks would have worked out in a very different way if both parents were present in Modris’ life.
When watching the video, one feels sympathizing with Modris instead of criticizing him, since the adults who were responsible for his growing up were totally inappropriate, incapable and insufficient individuals.
Times are different and there should be a change in attitudes and ways of teaching and guiding young people, showing them the interest they need, listening to their worries and anxieties, providing ways for their development, generally showing the way in a more discrete way, respecting their wills and desires. No way should they live in fear thinking about the threat with imprisonment in case they don’t comply with the rules. Young people are often very angry and outrageous with all difficulties the face in their life, they often feel that it is applied injustice in this world, some being advantaged and some being disadvantaged by birth and this makes more sensitive young people or more rebellious and interrogative ones to follow the route of becoming outlaws, thinking that by giving a kick on the unrighteous systems they serve justice.