When the black‑and‑white frames of ‘Ulya’ flicker onto the screen, they carry more than just a visual style; they echo the muted tones of a life lived in the shadows of expectation. Directed by Viesturs Kairišs, the movie opens with a quiet, almost reverent tableau that sets the stage for a story that is as much about personal alienation as it is about athletic triumph.
The Weight of Height
At the heart of the narrative is Ulyana Semjonova, a Latvian basketball legend who once dominated the courts of the Soviet Union. The film does not shy away from the paradox that made her both celebrated and isolated: a towering stature that, while granting her success, also marked her as an outsider. Her height becomes a metaphor for the broader societal pressures that shaped her identity.
Kairišs leans heavily on stark cinematography and a mournful score to underscore this duality. The monochrome palette strips away distraction, forcing the audience to confront the raw emotions that Semjonova grappled with. Each frame feels deliberately austere, mirroring the film’s intent to strip back the layers of myth and reveal a woman wrestling with her own silhouette.
The screenplay, penned by Livia Ulman, Andris Feldmanis, and lead actor Arnolds Karlis Avots, paints Semjonova as innocent and naive, centering the story around her physical presence. Avots, a male actor, embodies the female lead and even contributed early drafts of the script, bringing a physicality to the role that is both striking and unsettling. Critics have praised his commitment to the part, yet they note a certain thinness in the emotional depth he conveys.
The film’s climax arrives with a simple yet poignant image: Avots, as Semjonova, embraces the real Ulyana Semjonova in a quiet photograph. This moment is meant to signal the filmmakers’ good intentions, a gesture that acknowledges the subject’s legacy. However, the scene also underscores a missed opportunity — the film never fully transcends its own reverence to deliver a tribute that feels earned rather than imposed.
Ultimately, ‘Ulya’ is a contemplative piece that captures the paradox of a sports icon whose physical dominance was both a gift and a burden. While the film’s aesthetic choices are undeniably striking, its narrative ambition falls short of the depth required to do justice to Semjonova’s complex legacy. The result is a visually arresting but emotionally restrained portrait that leaves viewers yearning for a more profound exploration of the woman behind the height.