The everyday sadness of ageing and regret: “A Postcard from Rome” at the 2025 goEast Festival of Central and Eastern European Film

The portrayal of Alzheimer’s in A Postcard from Rome (2024) is bleak. As the audience sees the efforts a husband goes through to protect his wife, they are forced to ask themselves hard questions about relationships, ageing, and society.

In 2024, an animated film about a cat at sea thrusted the small Baltic country of Latvia into the spotlight. Flow, directed by Gints Zilbalodis, was a massive global hit. However, it was not the only bold and emotional movie released by Latvia that year. Director Elza Gauja’s A Postcard from Rome, while much smaller in both its thematic scale and overall reach, is an exceptional, compelling, and emotional cinematic journey.

A Postcard from Rome gives viewers an uncompromising view not only of Alzheimer’s disease, but also how isolating the disease is for elderly people in society. The basic plot revolves around two ageing, married postal workers, Ernests (Jānis Jarāns) and Alvine (Indra Burkovska), as they attempt to win a lottery for a trip to Rome.

Unfortunately, Alvine’s progressing dementia complicates their efforts. Throughout the movie, we see Alvine’s mind progress from being slightly absentminded — overlooking letters on her postal route or blanking on the door code to an apartment complex — to completely forgetting where she is, what day it is, and what she is doing mid-task.

Meanwhile, Ernests, stuck trying to handle Alvine’s condition, is struggling with his own trauma. As he tries to come to terms with his past and shortcomings — including an accident that left him with a severe fear of heights — he is forced to protect his wife both physically and emotionally from the disease that afflicts her.

As the film progresses, Ernests makes decisions that will leave the viewer equal parts frustrated and understanding. His love for his wife (and her love for him) makes the premise of this film all the bleaker as it is clear that both will go to the end of the world for each other.

The most interesting question posed by the film is who really needs who between the two protagonists. Naturally, on paper, Alvine desperately needs Ernests. Because of her mental state, it is clear she needs someone constantly by her side to keep her safe.

And yet, the reserved and cautious Ernests is in equal need of the carefree and jovial Alvine. Throughout the film, she is there to force him to break out of his shell. This is best encapsulated in a tender scene when, after nicking his finger cutting wood, Ernests calls out for Alvine, and they sit together as she bandages him up.

Amidst the couple’s personal struggles, there is an underlying theme of how society views and treats the elderly and disabled. People blow cigarette and vape smoke at the two protagonists on the sidewalk and the doctor Ernests sees to discuss Alvine’s condition is largely dismissive. This theme is also echoed by the dilapidated state of a homeless shelter shown later in the film.

The sadness of the film’s plotline is punctuated by a minimalist, delicate film score. The simple instrumentation conveys the everyday sadness of watching a loved one succumb to Alzheimer’s much better than a soaring soundtrack could. It also works to emphasise the moments of happiness and brevity. Additionally, the shaky handheld cameras give viewers a sense of urgency, confusion, and anxiety.

The ending of the film culminates in a gut-wrenching shot of the two protagonists sitting on a bench before concluding with a sequence of them dancing together, presumably from an earlier time. This juxtaposition gets to the heart of the film. Despite all of the hardships experienced by the couple, and the at times questionable decisions they make, they are ultimately fueled by their undying love for each other.

A Postcard from Rome (2024) was screened on 24 April as part of the 2025 goEast Festival of Central and Eastern European Film.