Film Archive

Low Lights

East of the West - Competition 2009 / Artimos šviesos / Lithuania, Germany 2009

For the three young heroes of this Lithuanian-German urban road movie, night rides through the empty city streets offer a break from punishing routine. Director Ignas Miškinis creates an image of alienation in the modern hurried world, in which people are, in his words, "abandoned and lost, they’re moving away from those around them.”

Synopsis

30-year-old Tadas seems to have all reason to live a contented life. His career in an insurance company is looking promising, he has a pretty wife, a luxury car and a new flat in a modern part of town. Yet he sails through life without any excitement, stuck in a stereotypical groove. His chance encounter with Linas, a former classmate, unexpectedly opens up a whole new world for him. Linas initiates him into his ritual – driving through the city at night with half a tank of petrol. During one of their stop-offs at a gas station, the pair are joined by the enchanting and mysterious Vita. The ride through the dark, empty streets of the big city, the glow of the street lamps, the shimmering highways and encounters with other drivers offer a romantic counterweight to the greyness of ordinary days, and an escape from their exhausting routine. The night riders acquire, at least for a moment, the sense of something new and unfamiliar. In his urban road movie, director Ignas Miškinis creates an image of alienation in the modern hurried world, in which people are, in his words, "abandoned and lost, they’re moving away from those around them, often even those closest to them.”

About the film

92 min / Color, 35 mm
World premiere
Director Ignas Miškinis / Screenplay Ignas Miškinis / Dir. of Photography Rolandas Leonavičius / Music Markus Aust / Editor Gesa Marten / Producer Ieva Norvilienė, Dagmar Niehage / Production Tremora, dagstar*film / Cast Dainius Gavenonis, Julia Maria Köhler, Jonas Antanėlis / Contact Tremora, Media Luna New Films UG, dagstar*film

About the director

Ignas Miškinis (b. 1978, Vilnius) has experience in advertising, he worked for the Lithuanian television station LNK and has made several short films. In 2007 he made his debut with the black comedy Diring (Diringas), which was favourably received by domestic audiences. Low Lights is his second feature film.