Sundance: Slow

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Plot via Sundance:

Contemporary dancer Elena meets Dovydas when he is assigned to interpret via sign language in a class she is teaching to deaf youth. Their connection is immediate, kinetic, and frictionless. As they gravitate toward each other, resisting the forces and interventions of their separate daily lives, their bond deepens from platonic to romantic. When Dovydas discloses his asexuality, the couple commit themselves to honoring their individual needs in tandem. As they continue to weave more tightly together, they struggle to negotiate sacrifice and compromise and are forced to discover the edges of their generosity toward the other
 

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Review notes:

Slow, a romance between a modern dancer, Elena (Greta Grineviciute) and sign language interpreter, Doydo (Kestutis Cicenas), focuses on their communication. and modes of expression.

Written and directed by Marija Kavtaradze, her sophomore feature succeeds in developing characters who stumble and truly understand their wants and needs, especially when one of them- Doydas- is asexual.

Removing most of the carnal aspect of a typical romantic relationship allows director Kavtaradze to show how couples really develop and communicate new patterns of intimacy— the honesty, listening and acceptance needed.

Greta Grineviciute and Kestutis Cicenas are astonishing as the film’s central pair. They portray the intricacies of their tormented characters with utmost authenticity. Their nonverbal competencies (dance and sign language) becomean asset and not a hindrance to their communication.

For Greta her mental conflict is about finding a compromise between her promiscuous past and her close but asexual present. 

For Doydo, it’s about getting to a semblance of normal sexual love that pleases both of them.

The camera work lingers around the characters giving them enough space to exist while still feeling real and spontaneous. A dance sequence at a wedding becomes the best expression of this, a blending of space and their best nonverbal connection. It’s organic and heartfelt.   

Slow’ nicely illustrates in a perceptive and mature way how companionship requires more than just attraction.

Slow gets a 3.5 out of 5 or a B+.

Credits:

DIRECTOR(S)
MARIJA KAVTARADZE
SCREENWRITER
MARIJA KAVTARADZE
PRODUCER
MARIJA RAZGUTE
CO-PRODUCER
LUISA ROMEO
ANNA-MARIA KANTARIUS
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
LAURYNAS BAREIŠA
EDITOR
SILVIJA VILKAITĖ
MUSIC
IRYA GMEYNER
SOUND EDITOR
DIEGO STAUB
CAMERA
VYTAUTAS KATKUS
PRODUCTION DESIGNER
SIGITA ŠIMKŪNAITĖ
CHOREOGRAPHY
ANNA VNUK
PRINCIPAL CAST
GRETA GRINEVIČIŪTĖ
KĘSTUTIS CICĖNAS
YEAR
2023
CATEGORY
FEATURE
COUNTRY
LITHUANIA/SPAIN/SWEDEN
LANGUAGE
LITHUANIAN, ENGLISH
RUN TIME
108 MIN
COMPANY
TOTEM FILMS
WEBSITE
HTTPS://WWW.TOTEM-FILMS.COM/