The Saint (Lithuanian: Šventasis) is a Lithuanian film written and directed by Andrius Blaževičius and released in 2016.
| The Saint | |
|---|---|
| Lithuanian | Šventasis |
| Directed by | Andrius Blaževičius |
| Written by | |
| Produced by | Marija Razgutė
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | |
| Edited by | Silvija Vilkaitė |
| Music by | Vytautas Rasimavičius |
Release date |
|
Running time | 96 minutes |
| Country | Lithuania |
| Language | Lithuanian |
It is a social drama exploring themes of social pressure, vulnerability, masculinism, the role of religion in our society, and the fragility of post-Soviet countries in the late 2010s.
Plot
editLithuanian provincial town is facing the economic crisis in 2008. Vytas, portrayed by Marius Repšys, gets fired from the factory. Pushed by his wife, he immediately starts looking for a new job, but not really successfully. After having his haircut done, Vytas starts looking for a new love affair with a hairdresser Marija, played by Gelmine Glemzaite. This is not really successful either. Finally, Vytas gets involved into a third search – he starts looking for a guy who posted video on YouTube, claiming he saw Jesus Christ in their town. This is the only time he succeeds.[1]
Cast
edit- Marius Repšys as Vytas
- Indre Patkauskaite as Jurate
- Gelmine Glemzaite as Marija
- Valentinas Krulikovskis as Petras
- Lukas Malinauskas as The Saint
- Arturas Aleksejevas as Edgaras
- Egle Anceviciute as Partygoer
- Jonas Braskys as Rokas
- Erikas Brazauskas as Kindergarten boy
- Remigijus Bucius as Neighbor
- Karolis Butvydas as Partygoer
- Vladimir Dorondov as Consultant
- Martyna Gedvilaite as Pop group 'Illusion'
- Karolina Griciute as Ausra
- Aurelija Jogaudaite as Partygoer
- June Juknelyte as Dovile's girl
- Jelena Juscenko-Kirijeva as Secretary
- Jurijus Karanas as Marija's father
- Elija Kavaliauskaite as Girl with umbrella
- Urte Kavaliauskaite as Indre's girl
- Dangiras Masionis as Sacristan
- Darius Meskauskas as Employer
- Ignas Misiura as Man in suit
- Sandra Navickaite as Pop group 'Illusion'
- Marius Pocevicius as Partygoer
- Tomas Pukys as Partygoer
- Agnieska Ravdo as Algina
- Ilona Rekuviene as Marija's mother
- Dovile Silkaityte as Grazina
- Audrius Tamulionis as Elderly man
- Justas Tertelis as Partygoer
- Liubov Tymochova as Petras' mother
Production
editThis is the first feature film of Andrius Blaževičius. After producing his graduation short film Ten reasons (2011), Lithuanian producer Marija Razgutė (M-Films) signed a second collaboration with the director for his first feature film The Saint, originally titled Crisis.[2][3]
The film had one of the best openings at the Lithuanian box office in 2017. It remained in the number one spot for its second week in Lithuania and exceeded 66,000 admissions in its first week of release, accounting for nearly a quarter of all entries for the week.[4]
Reception
editThe film received generally positive reviews from critics. It garnered over 70% positive reviews, with an average score of 3.4/5 based on 154 collected reviews on the website Letterboxd.[5]
Accolades
edit
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipients | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 47th International Kiev Molodist Film Festival (Belarus) 2018 [6] | 2018 | Grand Prix | Andrius Blaževičius | Won |
| International Vilnius Film Festival (Kino pavasari)[7] | 2017 | Best Actor | Marius Repšys | Won |
| National Lithuanian Film Cinema Award "Silver Crane"[8] | 2017 | Best Feature Film | Andrius Blaževičius | Won |
| 2017 | Best Director | Andrius Blaževičius | Won | |
| 2017 | Best Screenplay | Andrius Blaževičius, Marija Kavtaradzė, Teklė Kavtaradzė | Won | |
| 2017 | Best Actor | Marius Repšys | Won | |
| 2017 | Best Supporting Actress | Gelminė Glemžaitė | Won | |
| 2017 | Best Supporting Actor | Valentinas Krulikovskis | Won | |
| 2017 | Best Individual Achievement | Producer Marija Razgutė | Selected | |
| 2017 | Best Cinematography | Linas Dabriška | Selected | |
| 2017 | Best Actress | Indrė Patkauskaitė | Selected | |
| 2017 | Best Editing | Silvija Vilkaitė | Selected | |
| 2017 | Best Art Direction | Aurimas Akšys | Selected | |
| Lübeck Nordic Film Days Festival (Germany) [9] | 2017 | Selected | Andrius Blaževičius | Selected |
| Crossing Europe Festival (Austria) [9] | 2017 | Selected | Andrius Blaževičius | Selected |
| Trieste International Film Festival (Italy) [9] | 2017 | Selected | Andrius Blaževičius | Selected |
| Brisbane International Film Festival (Australia) [9] | 2017 | Selected | Andrius Blaževičius | Selected |
| 23rd International Minsk Film Festival, Listapad (Belarus) [9] | 2016 | Special Jury Mention | Andrius Blaževičius | Selected |
| Warsaw International Film Festival (Poland) [10] | 2016 | Selected | Andrius Blaževičius | Selected |
| Busan International Film Festival (South Korea) [9] | 2016 | Selected | Andrius Blaževičius | Selected |
References
edit- ^ "Andrius Blaževičius' The Saint (Šventasis, 2016) - East European Film Bulletin". 6 January 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- ^ "The Saint". kinopavasaris.lt. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- ^ Blaževičius, Andrius (18 October 2016). "Andrius Blazevicius • Director". Cineuropa. Interviewed by Movshovych, Natalie. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- ^ Staff, F. N. E. "The Saint Stays on Top at Lithuanian Box Office - FilmNewEurope.com". filmneweurope.com. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- ^ "The Saint (2017)". Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- ^ "MIP: Film 'Djakuyu' Screened at Molodist Film Festival". Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport of Ukraine. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
- ^ "Vilnius International Film Festival (2017)". IMDb. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
- ^ Kancereviciute, Aukse. "The Saint is Blessed with Six Silver Crane Awards - FilmNewEurope.com". www.filmneweurope.com. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f "Andrius Blaževičius". Lithuanian Culture Institute. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
- ^ Poglajen, Tina (17 October 2016). "The Saint: An examination of the pressures of masculinity in a crisis-torn country". Cineuropa. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
External links
edit- The Saint, program of the Vilnius International Film Festival 2016.
- The Saint – Teaser (video, Lithuanian)
- IMDB