Already on September 30, the viewers of all Lithuania will be able to see the futuristic tape "Vesper", which stands out in terms of visuals and topical themes, filmed in Lithuania. The British actors who played in it say that they fell in love with the nature and people of Lithuania. When talking about the film, they name a variety of topics and invite the audience to think and appreciate what we have - our planet, unlimited food resources, the beauty of natural nature.
The film Vesper, directed by Kristina Buožytė and Bruno Samper, shows a dystopian future, our planet is worn out, where there is a shortage of food, there is tension between people and the humanoids they have created, which in the film are called Jags. However, stubborn thirteen-year-old Vesper is engaged in biological experiments in the depths of the forest and is convinced that someday she will be able to make a discovery that will save humanity from starvation. The film impressed festival organizers and critics who had already seen it with its visuals - the unseen inventions of the future and the enchanting vegetation of the future world are depicted in an extremely original and professional manner.
Create a character with just a glance
British actor Richard Brake, who played Vesper's father Darius, who is chained to the bed in the film, admits that such a role was a challenge for him, but also one of the reasons that encouraged him to work in this film.
“It was a challenge to express the character with so little. There was no text, I couldn't even move, all I had were my eyes. And I really liked it! I'm from that school of acting where less is more. I think all the work takes place in the actor's head and the audience has to see it. However, most of them have at least a few lines or things that can help, and in this case, I only had a glimpse. I really liked working with Kristina, because she works a lot with actors, she perfectly understood the complexity of the situation, we communicated a lot and tried to express exactly what was needed - neither too much nor too little. I really enjoyed the experience.”
However, the audience will hear the actor's voice in the film - he voiced the drone that embodies the brain of Darius and accompanies the determined Vesper everywhere. "There are so many layers to this story: the class system, climate change issues, coming of age history, totalitarianism and the most important topic for my character and me personally - the relationship between parents and children. Darius is Vesper's dad and I have three children myself, so I'm interested in what we parents do to prepare our children for the time when we're gone, so that they know how to manage life on their own."
It shows how we are now
Another relative of Vesper is the antagonist Jonas, who follows different values in life. The head of a large family living on a farm tries to survive in a post-apocalyptic world by making deals with the Citadel, a closed elite organization. This role was created by the British Eddie Marsan, known from the films about Sherlock Holmes.
"The best science fiction uses the extreme conditions of future life to reveal what we are like in the present." I think this film does that very well," says the actor. According to him, the world created by the film team perfectly reveals the original idea of the directors, it is stunning, multifaceted and complex. "It is very easy to act in this film, to be in it, to just live - because it is so real," E. Marsan is convinced.
The main actress was fascinated by Lithuanian forests
British actress Raffiella Chapman, who plays Vesper, who is about to celebrate her XNUMXth birthday, says: “When I first read the script, I felt that the film tackled really interesting and pressing environmental issues, and told a really compelling and moving story. Vesper was very different from all the other characters I had played before. Vesper doesn't care how she looks, she just has goals, all she cares about is them and her family. She is extremely intelligent, determined and resilient. I loved her passion and especially her hope for the future.”
R. Chapman says that acting required a lot of physical preparation and working in quite extreme conditions, but the young actress likes challenges, so there were no problems, besides, she constantly felt support from other actors and the filming crew.
"I just fell in love with Lithuanian people, they are warm and hospitable. I also just fell in love with the country. Lithuania is so beautiful. And the forest... It's so amazing, I really enjoyed filming there. I could spend all my time there. It's incredible. I also really enjoyed spending time in Vilnius, I remembered the architecture of the old town, the wonderful food."
A closer bond has developed due to the quarantine
Another rising British film star, Rosy McEwen, who spent the most time on set with Raffiella Chapman, says: “We were the only ones filming the whole time. Even before the filming started, there was already a connection, because both came from Great Britain, we lived in the same hotel, together we found ourselves in the new circumstances of the quarantine, in a new world. I think it helped the film a lot too because that connection carried over to the screens. Camellia seems to take the role of Vesper's mother, an older woman, and Vesper gives Camellia a female friendship that she never had, because she always had to listen to authority, to please Elijah, so she likes the equal relationship very much."
Rosy McEwen says that during the filming in Lithuania due to the quarantine, she could not visit many places, only a few cafes were open, so most of her time and socializing was on the movie set, which led to the formation of closer ties with the team. "I really liked Lithuanians. You are all so relaxed, easy going, easy to talk to, you don't worry about anything. At first glance, the British are very polite, but a bit tense, while the Lithuanians are completely honest, they say what they think. When I realized that, I thought how cool, how easy it is to communicate. I also really liked the nature of Lithuania - those swamps, forests and lakes are extremely beautiful. There's one scene where we're walking across the marsh to Vesper's garden as the sun sets, I really remember it. I have never seen such a landscape - a view of a swamp, reflecting the sun and thousands of trees! It looks as if artists have created the environment for a movie, but it is nature. Very nice!"
The premiere of the film "Vesper" in Lithuania will take place on September 30, Friday.
Vesper is created by the production company Natrix Natrix (Asta Liukaitytė, Daiva Varnaitė-Jovaišienė, Kristina Buožytė, Lithuania), Ruble Fish (Alexis Perrin, France) and 1080 Films (Benoit Ronald, Belgium). The project was partially financed by the Lithuanian Film Center.