“The grass always seems greener on the other side of the fence” could well be the motto of young Latvian Ilze and her boyfriend Ojars. Certainly they are intent on leaving their village. When Ilze reads an advert in a newspaper, by a film company seeking young actors, she travels to Riga to take part in the casting. But she completely messes up her audition. Ilze doe not want to return home, so she spends her time in a friend’s flat, half-heartedly seeking jobs and beginning a little affair with the dynamic Arcijs. When Ojars and a mate also show up in Riga, they spend their nights in clubs, hatching vague plans of moving to Ireland. Director Juris Poskus uses atmospheric, often seemingly documentary images to portray a ‘gang of outsiders’ of our time, conveying a general feeling of how young Baltic people view life. Not least the impressive presence of stage actress Iveta Pole in her first cinema role makes “Monotony” exciting Zeitgeist cinema.