This review should be read at the loudest possible volume!
Tesa Man is not the first film by Ugis Olte that revolves around a band. In 2016, he co-directed Liberation Day, which was about the Slovenian band Laibach’s tour in North Korea. His new film is quite different. Centred around a concert of the Latvian post-metal band Tesa, it is also a work which the director describes as “a poetic exploration of the relationship between collective creativity and the natural world”. Set in the frozen landscape of Vidzeme, the film deals with themes pertaining to animism. The one-hour film is apparently an outside concert with the band where different spiritual entities play a crucial part. In many ways, we are witnessing a ritual taking place.
The Password is Milk?
The film begins relatively quietly. We follow an artist through his process, first poking a hole in the ice, then in a more summery surrounding, painting. He makes statues out of clay and wood with a highly organic feel. There is a fairly long and atmospheric view of several pieces of the artist’s work, which is suddenly broken by a cut to a cow grazing in the field. She looks up at the camera, and immediately, there is a cut to four women— an older one dressed in white and three younger ones dressed in transparent clothing (pictured below). Then, there is a direct cut to a cow’s udder. A connection to milk does not seem unthinkable.
Later, the connection to said liquid will become more evident when the characters turn out to be The Mother of Milk and the Spirits of Milk, respectively. We see them pouring milk into a chalice, and it seems to be flowing through nature as well while the spirits go skinny-dipping, all set to Tesa’s relentlessly pulsating music. It is a truly mesmerising sequence, and from there on, Tesa Man will cast a firm grip on the spectator and hold it until the very end. The bulk of the remainder of the film will be the concert in a snowy amphitheatre, but the themes will not be forgotten. On the other hand they won’t be overtly spelled out either.
Nine cinematographers contributed to the film, among them Marcis Ābele of the Ābele brothers, who made the outstanding Troubled Minds, screened at Black Nights in 2021. Six Sony A7III cameras were devoted to the band, two to the audience and one to the artist character. The shooting period was limited, but the outcome is nothing short of astonishing. This one-hour film has more compelling shots than almost any film this year, regardless of their duration. Fans of post-metal will have a head start, but Tesa Man comes highly recommended to anyone looking for a refreshing experience, both aurally and visually. The stage where the band is performing was dug out by the aforementioned artist so all the pieces are connected.
During an era where most films are far too long, Tesa Man is a work that I would have loved to have been twice as long as it is. How often can you say that about a film, nowadays? In a way, I got an extended experience since I was invited to a concert with the band the day after the premiere. This time they were, luckily, playing indoors, and it was another extraordinary experience. The director was there as well, and he was very approachable, and I managed to exchange a few words with him.
Tesa Man had its international premiere at the Black Nights Film Festival, following the world premiere at the Riga International Film Festival in October.
