In the wake of Latvian independence, we see brief moments from the daily lives of people living in two different countries: the ferry on the Daugava river connects villagers across the newly established Latvia-Belarus border. Sound effects and the absence of dialogue create a meditative portrait of a place at the end of the world, far from the hubbub of the nationalism that was characteristic of the early nineties. The Ferry and The Mail were screened in Un Certain Regard at the Cannes film festival, where they received the FIPRESCI Prize and announced Pakalniņa’s arrival on the international film circuit.