Comeback, the 2021 indie short by veteran Latvian filmmaker Vladimir Leschiov, is the autobiographical story of a man reconnecting with a lost childhood passion: hockey.
On a trip to Montreal as a grown man, exposure to Canada’s national obsession sparks memories of early hockey games, both broadcast and played, and brings up a collection of nostalgic family moments and difficult choices, all against a backdrop of the socio-political climate of 1970s Latvia.
The titular comeback refers both to Canada’s hard-won series victory against the Soviet national hockey team in 1972’s famous “Summit Series,” as well as the filmmaker’s return to playing hockey as an adult with a son of his own. Dedicated to the filmmaker’s parents, Comeback is a touching look at the fonder of life’s moments – a fondness easily felt whether hockey is a part of your personal tapestry or not.
