Ulya (Uļa)

Soviet Union, Latvia, 1964. In a family of Old Believers, lives a teenage girl, Ulya, whose height is approaching two meters at an alarming rate. So far, she has found a safe haven in her village, where surrounded by her loving family she helps with farmwork. But a question gnaws at her parents (and Ulya also): is there really a place in the world for a giant-sized girl?

An opportunity to find such a place arises when her sister’s fiancé secretly sends Ulja’s class photo to Karbergs, the head-coach of the legendary Latvian women’s basketball team TTT. Karbergs sees huge potential in the giant girl and whisks her away to the capital. Ulya hopes that there will be taller houses and taller people in the big city. But her hopes are soon crushed, because on the basketball court her height sticks out even more. With the help of her ill-mannered, foul-mouthed coach, she realises the only way to avoid everyone’s derisive eyes is to start playing better.

The latest film by Latvian director Viesturs Kairišs (“The Sign Painter”, “January”) premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes. Latvia has selected the feature as its entry for the Oscar for Best International Feature Film.