Self Portrait
Latvia's only known underground film Self-Portrait is as
much a portrait of that country's existence under Soviet
annexation as it is an autobiographical depiction of its
creator Andris Grinbergs. From the opening scene of
Andris assaulted on a city street to the shot of two men
kissing in a public restroom, from the surreal footage
taken during a Happening to the appearance of Christian
iconography in the background of an orgiastic frolic, and
from the film's overall, nonlinear editing to the extended,
unrelieved direct-cinema footage of Andris and Inta's
lovemaking at its center, Self-Portrait violated countless
official norms for visual style and content.
Andris Grinbergs Work