"I hope that the audience will see their own love stories here and will leave the film realizing that we are not as different as we think we are," director Tomas said during the week of the premiere of his second feature film "5 ½ Love Stories in One Vilnius Apartment" in Lithuania. Hungary.
In November, the film debuted at the Tallinn Film Festival, where it was rated as the best in the "Rebels with a Cause" program, and in March, T. Hungary's work will be shown at the Manchester Film Festival. Currently, the film, in which very different love crises that happen to people from different countries, are told from the perspective of a rented apartment, is being shown in Lithuanian cinemas.
The global voice of critics is about multi-layeredness and visual aesthetics
"Each story is preceded by an inspirational quotation from Shakespeare's sonnets, but this seems rather ironic, as it soon becomes clear that the tone of the story is once again far from romantic," writes Irish film reviewer David Cunningham, who also notes that the apartment where the characters stay for a moment, their relationship acts as a catalyst for doubts the characters have felt before.
Bita Habibi, writing on the Canadian film website Universal Cinema, singles out the film's cinematography: “Every frame is carefully crafted, with great attention to detail. Visually extraordinary landscapes are born in the apartment, conveying the themes of the film. The subtlety of the director's visual aesthetics corresponds to the concept of love, where form gently embraces meaning."
"It is often filmed from another room, thus creating a voyeuristic impression. Other unusual perspectives - from behind the chair, through a half-closed door, from the surface of the bed or floor or through the window - turn the viewer almost into a spy," observes Latvian film journalist Līga Požarska.
"In Tom's new work, the minor chords of the narrative coming from the subconscious sound. However, the tragicomedy transferred from life to the screen gives every person a recognizable light and lightness," writes Silvija Butkutė in the Lithuanian culture and art magazine "Nemunas".
Lithuanian viewers distinguish personal connection
"I wish you to watch "5 ½ love stories in one Vilnius apartment" by Tomas Vengris, then remember your 5 ½ unsuccessful love stories, then feel a little sad, and then laugh at yourself and think that unhappy love is a trait of a species, just like walking on two legs." , - director and screenwriter Eglė Vertelytė wrote on her Instagram account after the screening.
The film's authenticity was not allowed to be doubted by the neighbors of T. Vengris' apartment - Inesa and Andrius - who visited its premiere. They were happy to finally be able to see the result of the process, which they watched live, on the big screen: "We can see our backyard. We hear the bells. We see what we see through our window. We hear Mamontov's music and we know that such a concert really took place at the time when Tomas was shooting this film!", laughed a couple from Vilnius who specially made jumpers with the name of the film for the premiere.
"The whole film has such Vilnius themes. The mood is very Vilnius, the style", Živile Diawara drew attention. When asked if she managed to identify with any of the stories presented on the screen, the co-founder of the art factory "Loftas" revealed that she liked the episode where the Hungarian DJ who returned to Vilnius stays in the apartment the most: "I really paid attention to the music."
"A wonderful sense of humor. I can't even remember other Lithuanian films that have such a good sense of humor. It was very little, but as much as needed. And he was very much his own," commented stylist Milda Metlovaitė, who herself got involved in several comical AirBnb situations. For example, when she opened the refrigerator compartment in Berlin, she saw there... clothes left by the owner.
In the film, Jonas Braškis, who played Roma, the fan assisting the cleaner Jolantai (actress Velta Žygure), was accompanied to the premiere by his son, also an actor. Jonas Braškys Jr. laughed that he might even be a little jealous of his father in such a film: "It's a joy to see a father in such a film, it's fun to include him in the film's CV. Maybe a little jealous, but the joy is great. And especially when the hall laughs at him. For the right options."
After spending last week for meetings with viewers in the capital, Kaunas and Marijampole, on February 13. Tomas Vengris and film producer Uljana Kim and Velta Žygure come to chat with the visitors of Kaunas film center "Romuva". The session starts at 18:XNUMX.
The film also stars Vidas Petkevičius, Valene Kane, Alison Oliver, Marijus Mažūnas, Yiftach Klein, Hadar Ratzon Rotem, Šarūnas Datenis, Géza Röhrig, Adelė Šuminskaitė, Gintautė Rusteikaitė, Skomantas Duoplys, Juliusz Krzystof Warunek, Magdalena Celowna Jankowska.
"5 ½ love stories in one Vilnius apartment" is a Lithuanian, Irish and Latvian co-production film, which was financed by the Lithuanian Film Center, Eurimages Foundation of the Council of Europe, Screen Ireland, Latvian National Film Center and Lithuanian National Radio and Television. The film is distributed by Kino Pavasaris Distribution.