Jōhatsu
The Japanese phenomenon of deliberate disappearance in a chilling Lithuanian thriller.
A ship explodes. A man dies. A man disappears without a trace. Is it an accident or a cover-up for something darker?
Documentary filmmaker Nerijus Milerius (“Exemplary Behaviour”) invited his former student Lina Lūžytė (“Together Forever”, “The Castle”) to direct this Lithuanian psychological thriller while investigating Japanese disappearances. Genius cinematographer Vytautas Katkus (worked on Locarno winner “Toxic”) captures the dark subject matter perfectly, jumping between moving cars and shooting in time-lapse.
Actress Žygimantė Jakštaitė (“Runner”) plays Lina, a Vilnius morgue medic who becomes fascinated by the mysterious disappearance of a sailor named Vilkas (Wolf). Her obsession leads her to eerie places and disturbing encounters. The clock is ticking as Lina searches for the lost man.
Edvinas Pukšta
Lina Lužytė (1985) was born in Vilnius, Lithuania. In 2011, she graduated from the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre with an MA in Film Directing. She’s made two features – “Together For Ever” (Karlovy Vary, 2016) ,”The Castle” (2020) and two documentaries since then. The topics that runs through her work is on “humans battling unbearable or even grotesque circumstances”. Her latest documentary was shot in Moria, the biggest refugee camp in Europe on the island of Lesbos, Greece. Currently Lina is working on limited TV series on Cancel Culture.
Together For Ever (2015), Pilis (The Castle, 2020), Blue/Red/Deport (2022, doc), Jōhatsu (2024)
Nerijus Milerius (1971) was born in Vilnius, Lithuania. He defended his doctorate in philosophy in 2001. In addition to being a professor of philosophy at the University of Vilnius, Milerius is also a filmmaker. In 2019, the documentary “Exemplary Behaviour” about inmates sentenced to life, co-directed by Audrius Mickevičius and Nerijus Milerius, won three awards at DOK Leipzig. Milerius is also the director of the documentary “Life After Death” (2022) and co-director of the feature film “Jōhatsu”, which was also screened at PÖFF in 2024.
Filmography:
Pavyzdingas elgesys (Exemplary Behaviour, 2019, doc), Gyvenimas po mirties (Life After Death, 2022, doc), Jōhatsu (PÖFF 2024, co-dir)
Pavyzdingas elgesys (Exemplary Behaviour, 2019, co-dir, doc), Gyvenimas po mirties (Life After Death, 2022, doc), Jōhatsu (2024)