Mellow Mud is a coming-of-age film by Latvian director Renars Vimba. Starring Elina Vaska as 17-year-old Raya and Andzejs Lilientals as Raya’s younger brother Robis, the film takes place in Latvia and tells the story of abandonment. The story begins with learning Raya and Robis’ mother has left them to live in London. The father is no longer in the picture. A social worker assigns guardianship to the siblings’ paternal grandmother Olga. The teens live in an old run-down farmhouse in the country and Raya struggles to maintain the apple trees. Raya and Robis despise their grandmother Olga as Olga plans to sell off some of the farmland to pay debts. When a bulldozer comes to level the land, Raya tries to block the destruction with her body. The police are called to assist with Raya’s removal and an officer arrests Raya because she fights back. Raya is taken to jail and later Raya’s social worker gets her released from her cell. Soon after, the grandmother has a heart attack and dies; Raya decides to bury the lady on the farmland and not tell anyone. Raya tells her brother they must keep Olga’s death a secret and have to attend school faithfully now. Raya signs school forms, uses Olga’s funds to buy food and necessities, and looks after Robis as well as a teenager can.
Raya’s handsome young English teacher (Edgars Samitis) encourages Raya to participate in a competition to win a trip to London. Since Raya believes her mother is in London, she works hard and becomes a finalist—winning the award. Raya and her teacher have an affair but it is short lived as Robis discovers Raya and the teacher together kissing. The teacher decides to leave and return to Riga. The social worker confronts Robis who reveals that the grandmother has died so Raya escapes out the window and hitchhikes to Riga while Robis is placed in an orphanage. Raya seeks out her teacher and asks him to go to London with her, but he gently refuses and gives her money instead. Raya flies to London and discovers her mother has an eight-month-old baby and is living with a man. When Raya begs her mother to come home, the mother says she just can’t go back to Latvia and for Raya to look after Robis. Sad and resigned, Raya returns to Latvia. Since Raya has turned the legal age of 18, Raya assumes legal custody of Robis and they leave the orphanage together to return to the farm. Raya accepts her position as caretaker for both Robis and the apple orchard; she has matured and it is a bittersweet ending. Elina Vaska’s portrayal of Raya is admirable—showing teenage rebellion, vulnerability, anger, happiness, and finally, adulthood. Recommended.