“The Devil’s Bride” (dir. Arūnas Žebriūnas, 1974)
The legendary musical based on Kazi Boruta’s “Baltaragi’s Mill” is considered one of the most original and unique films in the history of Lithuanian cinema. Actors Vaiva Mainelytė and Regimantas Adomaitis created some of their best roles in the cinema in an engaging story that interweaves folklore and man’s struggle against the trials sent by fate. Maybe the romance itself is not that much in this film, but there is plenty of drama, sensual whirlwinds, good music and wonderful shots. And, of course, nostalgia – I can almost guarantee that most of them really wanted to see this piece on TV.
“I am you” (dir. Kristijonas Vildžiūnas, 2006)
Tasteful, elegant and intellectual – these are the words to describe this work by Kristijonas Vildžiūnas. In the center of the story of “I am you” is an architect who is determined to turn his dream into reality and escape from the boring life in the city. The dream is quite architectural, because the Baron created by Andrias Bialobžeskis designs and lives in a tree house in the middle of the forest. K. Vildžiūnas tells this story by creating a mystical and rather dreamlike atmosphere, focusing a lot on the inner feelings and dramas of the characters, encounters with themselves. The romance here is both literal and the kind that comes from exactly the feeling that the film is trying to convey with its images. One would even like to say that the dreamy mysticism of “I am you” even has an autumn coziness.
“I am you” (dir. Kristijonas Vildžiūnas, 2006)
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“You don’t remind me of anything” (dir. Marija Kavtaradze, 2023)
This film is probably the closest to what we could actually call a romantic film in Lithuanian cinema. “You don’t remind me of anything” unfolds a rather unusual (or maybe actually much more common than we think) love story, where love is about friendship, about presence, about understanding and trying to find respectful points of contact with another person, about trying to find your intimacy. The relationship between the characters of Elena (contemporary dance dancer) and Dovydas (sign language interpreter) created by Kęstutis Cicėnas and Greta Grinevičiūtė speaks on the screen through glances and gentle touches, which are captured softly and gently by Lauryns Bareiša’s camera. For those for whom romance is about love and feelings and building relationships, this film will provide that and give a lot more food for thought.
“You don’t remind me of anything” (dir. Marija Kavtaradze, 2023)
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“Surviving the summer” (dir. Marija Kavtaradze, 2018)
You can’t call this film romantic in the literal sense of the word, but there is definitely a lot of warmth in it, even though that warmth spreads through such a viscous inner darkness of the characters. In the center of the film is the story of a trip to Palanga and back, where it seems that much more happens in roadside gas stations and in a tall car than in the lives of some people in a week. And most of those events come from within, from communication, from being here and now and running away from one’s depressive states and a tortured and oppressive reality. After this movie, you will want to look at Hyperbole’s song “I will sing” differently, and maybe you will want to be more empathetic in everyday life. The characters of Paulius and Justė created by Paulius Markevičius and Gelminė Glemžaitė are so real, so close, those who seem to have been seen somewhere, with whom you have sat together somewhere, co-existed somewhere. Maybe the topic of mental health is not the context where you would want to attach the word “romance”, but the atmosphere of the film itself has such a light flavor. Although maybe this is the understanding and ability to see the light in the dark, which the characters live by. And light humor.
“Surviving the summer” (dir. Marija Kavtaradze, 2018)
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“People we know” (dir. Tomas Smulkis, 2020)
“People We Know” intertwines three different, very human, very familiar (emotionally) stories, which are united by the mysterious character of Anatoly. Again, you won’t be able to find romance in the truest sense here. However, a certain romance can be felt in the fact that the main character here is the city of Vilnius – with its inhabitants, its problems. And the city here is flooded with summer heat, which seems to be directly correlated with the equally hot and stuffy problems of the characters – unclear relationships, divorce, fear of getting to know each other. The director chooses to tell the story slowly, contemplatively, leaving space for the atmosphere to spread and for the viewer to make his own judgments regarding the choices of the characters and the solutions to the situations.
“People we know” (dir. Tomas Smulkis, 2020)
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“5 and a half love stories in one Vilnius apartment” (dir. Tomas Vengris, 2023)
This film, the title of which suggests that there may be something to do with love, presents five different stories that took place in an AirBnb apartment located right next to the Vilnius Arch Cathedral. Each story reveals different vicissitudes of love and presents different scenarios, some of which are extremely stereotypical, but at the same time very real and convincing, and so absurd and recognizable. Romance, the kind that would remind you of the true meaning of the word, appears sometimes, but it happens in a very domestic, and therefore even comical way. Not at all sweetly, but even more destructively – instead of fairy tale-worthy plots, here you can get acquainted with the reality of relationships and the crises that befall them, ways to solve them with your own methods and attempts to run away from yourself.
“Songs for the Fox” (dir. Kristijonas Vildžiūnas, 2022)
One can get the impression that Kristijons Vildžiūnas likes characters who live in more remote areas and houses with more interesting architectural solutions. Because this time, Dainius, the character created by Lukos Malinauskas, lives in a single yard, where he has built none other than a dome house (these are now very popular among those looking for romantic weekend getaways). Running away from the hardships and sorrows of city life, Dainius dives into the world of dreams, where he seems to want to stay forever. The aesthetics of “Dainų lapei” are extremely floating, mystical, a bit like a stream of consciousness, with a touch of surrealism. And the light rock music that accompanies the entire film finally fills this atmosphere and allows you to simply dive in and swim with the time and atmosphere of the film without thinking too much about the plot.
“Songs for the Fox” (dir. Kristijonas Vildžiūnas, 2022)
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“Sadūto tūto” (dir. Almantas Grikevičius, 1974)
Stop shot of the film “Sad To Tuto”/Stop shot of the film “Sad To Toto” Actors Bronius Babkauskas and Eugenija Pleškytė
Considered one of the most emotional and sensual works of director Almantas Grikevičius, “Sadūtos tūto” tells the story of artists and their everyday life and troubles. Sculptor Petras (played by Juozas Budraitis), struggling to make ends meet, receives a call from his childhood friend Povilas (played by Regimantas Adomaitis) – both of them take on an order to decorate the sanatorium. I would say that the romance of thought is revealed here in conversations about art, about the artist’s mission, about vocation and the meaning of talent – such human, idealistic (perhaps even too idealistic for our current taste) and reflecting the internal crises and moral dilemmas experienced.
#Film #critic #recommends #romantic #Lithuanian #films #cold #autumn #evenings #Culture
2024-09-30 04:52:25
