Bartas’s drama has already received praise for its elegant cinematography and a contemplative story. “Wrapped in magical images of a peaceful, calm nature disturbed only by the presence of man, this looks very much like a painful, meditative and sad reflection on life from the point of no return,” writes the influential film magazine “Screendaily”.
In their review, “The Hollywood Reporter” notes the director’s personal experiences having a clear presence in his work, and complimenting the film’s beautiful portrayal of natural landscapes.
The plot of “Peace to Us in Our Dreams” revolves around a man spending one summer day in his country house together with his daughter and his partner. Bartas cast himself in the main role, joined by his daughter Ina Marija Bartaite and his real-life partner, violinist Lora Kmieliauskaite. The late actress Katya Golubeva, Ina Marija’s mother and frequent Bartas lead, also briefly appears in the film.
“I wouldn’t want the audience to be influenced by their knowledge of my family history, or lack thereof. These are nonessential matters, because a lot of the things are different from how they’re portrayed in the film,” said Bartas after the premiere, when asked whether his characters were just playing themselves.
Like the director’s previous films, “Peace to Us in Our Dreams” also stars non-professional actors, for example, the residents of the village where Bartas spends a lot of his time and chose as the filming location. Audiences will also be pleasantly surprised by Klaudia Korshunova’s performance, who earned the Lithuanian film industry award “Sidabrinė gervė” for her role in Bartas’s “Eastern Drift”.
“I am fascinated that, once again, Bartas showed us something new. I can safely say he is one of the best directors in the world. This drama from Bartas is very personal, emotional, and accessible to a much wider audience than his previous films,” said one of the programmers for Berlinale Nikolaj Nikitin after the premiere.
Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVcW6Z9dcHY
This isn’t the first Cannes screening for Bartas. Two of his films have previously participated in the competition programme “Un Certain Regard” – “Few of Us” in 1996, and “The House” the following year.
“We are honored to be able to diversify commercial movie theatre repertoires by including very strong auteur films. It is our pleasure to introduce the independent film distribution company “Kino Pavasaris Distribution” at Cannes, especially with a film from Lithuania’s most prominent director,” said Algirdas Ramaška, executive director of “Kino Pavasaris”.
After the premiere, “Kino Pavasaris” announced that the 21st film festival will take place March 31st – April 14th of next year, once again bringing the best films from all around the world to Lithuania.
Sharunas Bartas’s film “Peace to Us in Our Dreams” is distributed by “Kino Pavasaris”. It will premiere in Lithuania October 9th, 2015.
Head of Communication for „Kino Pavasaris“
Dovilė Raustytė
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