Deimantas Narkevičius
Twittering Soul 
Čiulbanti siela
LT
2023, 70', lt, pl
Age 12+

 

The 19th century, yet it feels as though the next century is already quivering at the door of this era. The time of the industrial revolution, aviation, speed, psychoanalysis, and the birth of cinema is upon us. A southern Lithuanian village, nestled in the woods, is preparing for the end of the old world – it seems as if they live within Romanticism and Pre-Raphaelite paintings, taking you back to plots straight out of tales and mythology. Women discuss the afterlife, a nobleman is fascinated by the novelty that is stereophotography, someone whispers about witches, and musicians encounter supernatural stones on their journey. This is a time that marks the pre-modern world, separated only by the screen.

Many filmmakers have played with three-dimensional or stereoscopic imagery – after its early shape-taking in the mid-19th century, it was forgotten, revived in popcorn translation and lost there. Lithuanian artist Narkevičius, internationally renowned for his video and visual art, presents the first Lithuanian 3D feature film – a historical costume drama about the "visualisation of the soul". Illuminated by painterly light and accompanied by Miša Skalskis' music, Narkevičius has crafted a dense historical tapestry out of Lithuanian folk songs, superstitions, proverbs, prayers, and games. His audiovisual experiment about the end of the world enchants with a bold and convincing blend of reality and fantasy, dreams and visions, centred around image and humanity.