Baltic Film Competition Best Film

As summer fades in Šventoji, the Lithuanian seaside town exhales its final breath of warmth. New father Danielius leaves his family life in Norway to sell his late parents’ flat. He reconnects with childhood friends, their relatives, and new settlers. He wanders alone through the woods, drifts into gentle routines, honest conversations, and playful games in near-empty spaces where words are scarce. Everything here has changed.

It feels as if director Vytautas Katkus only glanced at the script before improvising. Armed with a 16mm camera, he captures poetic moments with friends, most of them not actors. Professional editor Darius Šilėnas takes the lead role. “Toxic” director Saule Bliuvaitė, writer of “China Sea” – premiering in the Critics’ Picks Competition at PÖFF – joins for karaoke and a beachside birthday. Augustė Gerikaitė, whose short “Glitter Kiss” has been selected for the PÖFF Shorts New Talents Competition, sings from a window into the blue alongside her boyfriend. Vismantė Ruzgaitė once again embodies an invented Vismantė, as in two of the director’s earlier shorts. Even Pūga the gorgeous dog, owned by “Slow” actress Greta Grinevičiūtė, claims a memorable role.

The film drifts through the irreversible flow of time. Definitely a viewing experience that rewards returning to it more than once.

Edvinas Pukšta