When a hijacker forces a plane to land at Riga airport, seven-year-old Tom, traveling along, volunteers himself as a hostage. When the highjacker begins to make his demands, Tom`s requests are added to his. They include chocolate, language learning tapes and a performance by some of Latvia`s finest biathletes. The sensitive issue of terrorism is at the heart of the narrative but is hardly the point of the film. Multi-layered, ironic and open to multiple interpretations, [The Hostage] lacks a classical central character in its exploration of military preparedness, Latvian identity, the fragmenting of the modern world, and European politics. Seemingly unconnected far-flung characters complete the rest of director Pakalnina`s most accomplished film. Occasionally bordering on farce, the depiction of modern day Latvia is complete while being simultaneously free of concrete answers.