2023 Movie
Dir. Signe Baumane · Latvia, Luxembourg · English
In this lovely animated musical, a young woman falls in love and finds her voice in Communist Latvia
It’s not often you get a female perspective on the USSR, much less a female artist with little means. Signe Baumane’s autobiographical My Love Affair With Marriage is one of the few ones, and not only is her story raw and refreshing, it’s also told through lovely animation and musical numbers. The result is something truly novel. Baumane analyzes ideas like love, marriage, gender, and society through an unapologetically feminist lens. But she’s careful not to be patronizing too. Instead of condemning her circumstances, she gives it context and shows empathy. Some parts are delightful, others distressing, but Baumane’s character (voiced by Succession’s Dagmara Dominczyk) is compelling throughout.
From an early age, songs and fairytales convinced Zelma that Love would solve all her problems as long as she abided by societal expectations of how a girl should act. But as she grew older something didn't seem right with the concept of love: the more she tried to conform, the more her body resisted. A story about the acceptance of the inner female rebellion.
"With “My Love Affair with Marriage,” animator Signe Baumane creates another dense personal narrative that expresses complicated concepts and ideas in images."
— Alissa Simon
Zelma comes of age during a difficult time in Latvia, where women are taught they should aspire for marriage and serve their husbands. Determined to find real love, she carves a path of her own.
Baumane signature style—a combination of real sets and animated drawings—always makes for a lovely watch. Also, this film has one of he realest representations I’ve seen of menstruation.
It marries plenty of genres and ideas—animation, musical, political, personal, and even scientific at certain points, but it works. It stays light on its feet till the end.
European Film Awards
1 nom
Renee Cuisia is the lead curator at A Good Movie to Watch. In her spare time, she likes to watch K-dramas and analyze them to death. She's also seen You've Got Mail one too many times but is still convinced it's one of the greatest films out there.
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