The Saint (Lithuanian: Šventasis) is a Lithuanian film written and directed by Andrius Blaževičius and released in 2016.
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 Lithuanian provincial town is facing Great Recession in 2008. Vytas, portrayed by Marius Repšys, gets fired from his job at a factory. Pushed by his wife, he immediately starts looking for a new job, but not successfully. After having his haircut done, Vytas starts looking for a new love affair with a hairdresser Marija, played by Gelminė Glemžaitė. This is not successful either. Finally, Vytas gets involved in a third search – he starts looking for a guy who posted a video on YouTube, claiming he saw Jesus Christ in their town. This is the only time he succeeds.
Cast
Production This 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.
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.
Reception The 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.
Accolades
+AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipientsResult47th International Kiev Molodist Film Festival (Belarus) 2018 2018Grand PrixAndrius BlaževičiusWonInternational Vilnius Film Festival (Kino pavasari)2017Best ActorMarius RepšysWonNational Lithuanian Film Cinema Award "Silver Crane"2017Best Feature FilmAndrius BlaževičiusWon2017Best DirectorAndrius BlaževičiusWon2017Best ScreenplayAndrius Blaževičius, Marija Kavtaradzė, Teklė KavtaradzėWon2017Best ActorMarius RepšysWon2017Best Supporting ActressGelminė GlemžaitėWon2017Best Supporting ActorValentinas KrulikovskisWon2017Best Individual AchievementProducer Marija RazgutėSelected2017Best CinematographyLinas DabriškaSelected2017Best ActressIndrė PatkauskaitėSelected2017Best EditingSilvija VilkaitėSelected2017Best Art DirectionAurimas AkšysSelectedLübeck Nordic Film Days Festival (Germany) 2017SelectedAndrius BlaževičiusSelectedCrossing Europe Festival (Austria) 2017SelectedAndrius BlaževičiusSelectedTrieste International Film Festival (Italy) 2017SelectedAndrius BlaževičiusSelectedBrisbane International Film Festival (Australia) 2017SelectedAndrius BlaževičiusSelected23rd International Minsk Film Festival, Listapad (Belarus) 2016Special Jury MentionAndrius BlaževičiusSelectedWarsaw International Film Festival (Poland) 2016SelectedAndrius BlaževičiusSelectedBusan International Film Festival (South Korea) 2016SelectedAndrius BlaževičiusSelected
References
External links The Saint, program of the Vilnius International Film Festival 2016. The Saint – Teaser (video, Lithuanian) IMDB