Harsh circumstances force a resourceful and determined Latvian girl to mature beyond her years in this compelling, bittersweet coming-of-ager from first-time feature helmer-writer Renārs Vimba. The evocatively shot realist tale benefits from a spare yet credible script and a knockout performance from big-screen debutant Elīna Vaska, who conveys her character’s feelings of anger, abandonment, responsibility and first love with conviction and authenticity. When 17-year-old Raya returns from school one day and finds her grandmother dead, she and younger brother Robis bury her in the garden and tell no one. Raya takes on the responsibility of running the household, deciding that her best chance of putting things right is to track down her mother by competing in an English-language Olympiad due to take place in London, where mom relocated after abandoning them. Proving himself a director of sensitivity and a refined visual style, Vimba presents the action through Raya’s eyes, using sparse dialogue and expressive images.