Shot on 16mm, Marija Kavtaradze’s quiet drama tells a mature and moving story about the many ways people can be in love
A delicate love affair blooms in the new film from Lithuanian director Marija Kavtaradze, which explores attraction and intimacy with intelligence and compassion. It tells the story of Elena (Greta Grinevičiūtė), a contemporary dancer leading a workshop for deaf teenagers, who falls for sign language interpreter Dovydas (Kęstutis Cicėnas). When Dovydas tells her he is asexual, she assumes she is being rejected. He clarifies that he is telling her because he likes her. They decide to try and make it work.
Shot on 16mm film, Slow looks grainy and pleasingly tactile, a fitting look for a film that is interested in many sides of the human touch – how it can soothe, arouse and even spark discord. The gentle naturalism of Slow’s style – full of long takes,...
A delicate love affair blooms in the new film from Lithuanian director Marija Kavtaradze, which explores attraction and intimacy with intelligence and compassion. It tells the story of Elena (Greta Grinevičiūtė), a contemporary dancer leading a workshop for deaf teenagers, who falls for sign language interpreter Dovydas (Kęstutis Cicėnas). When Dovydas tells her he is asexual, she assumes she is being rejected. He clarifies that he is telling her because he likes her. They decide to try and make it work.
Shot on 16mm film, Slow looks grainy and pleasingly tactile, a fitting look for a film that is interested in many sides of the human touch – how it can soothe, arouse and even spark discord. The gentle naturalism of Slow’s style – full of long takes,...
- 5/21/2024
- by Rebecca Liu
- The Guardian - Film News
Asexuality is rare enough on screen that a film that does acknowledge its existence can build an entire storyline out of it. But the scant few depictions of it in popular media that do exist — mostly in progressive teen shows like Netflix’s “Sex Education” or “Heartbreak High” — generally present storylines about the orientation in an instructive manner for general audiences. Their supporting asexual characters are typically young, confused teens, and their journeys to understand and accept their orientation are highlighted by arcs that pit them with love interests who struggle with the unconventional shape their relationship takes.
“Slow,” the second feature from Lithuanian director Marija Kavtaradzė, offers a somewhat different type of asexual character. Dovydas (Kęstutis Cicėnas) certainly talks about his difficulties coming to terms with his asexuality as a child, but when the audience first meets him he’s decidedly not an awkward teenager. He’s a grown...
“Slow,” the second feature from Lithuanian director Marija Kavtaradzė, offers a somewhat different type of asexual character. Dovydas (Kęstutis Cicėnas) certainly talks about his difficulties coming to terms with his asexuality as a child, but when the audience first meets him he’s decidedly not an awkward teenager. He’s a grown...
- 5/3/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Racking my brain to think of what exposure I’ve had to the concept of asexuality, I can come up with two examples: the personal life section of Janeane Garofalo’s Wikipedia page, and an interview with a man on a Canadian late-night television show (I think it was SexTV?) explaining it as if an alien. Well, with that limited knowledge, I was hoping Marija Kavtaradze’s Sundance-feted Slow would shine some light on the subject, rendering it into a dramatically compelling topic that I didn’t regard as somewhat of a joke. Yet this ho-hum relationship drama––the Sundance premiere makes a lot of sense; this is essentially the European iteration of the forgettable movies that fill up that fest––which has little in the way of surprise, tension or genuine romantic sweep, disappoints in that regard.
There’s not an entirely bad setup: we have at its center...
There’s not an entirely bad setup: we have at its center...
- 5/3/2024
- by Ethan Vestby
- The Film Stage
Romantic dramas — and romantic comedies, for that matter — hinge on the conviction that when we find “the one” we will be all the more malleable for it. It’s not so much that we will change who we are but that who we will become alongside our lover will be a better version of who we are without them. In Marija Kavtaradze’s intimate and touching “Slow,” a budding couple put such a belief to the test, sketching out the challenges of what it means to balance the selfishness and selflessness that’s required when being in a committed relationship.
When Dovydas (Kęstutis Cicėnas) shows up at a dance studio to help interpret a lesson for a group of deaf students, Elena (Greta Grinevičiūtė) is immediately smitten. There’s something about the way his gestures and bashful demeanor make this dance instructor swoon. The instant connection she feels is mutual.
When Dovydas (Kęstutis Cicėnas) shows up at a dance studio to help interpret a lesson for a group of deaf students, Elena (Greta Grinevičiūtė) is immediately smitten. There’s something about the way his gestures and bashful demeanor make this dance instructor swoon. The instant connection she feels is mutual.
- 4/29/2024
- by Manuel Betancourt
- Variety Film + TV
Writer-director Marija Kavtaradzė’s keenly perceptive and delicately sensual Slow centers on a dance instructor, Elena (Greta Grineviciute), who’s just begun teaching a class for a group of deaf children. It’s there that she first crosses paths with Dovydas (Kestutis Cicenas), a sign language interpreter assigned to translate for the kids at every session. Elena and Dovydas’s profession both involve non-traditional means of communication, with each of them using their bodies, rather than verbal language, as a means of connecting with others. But where Elena exudes an impassioned sense of freedom as she twists and whirls around with her fellow dancers, Dovydas is necessarily both more exacting and restrained in his signing.
Given Dovydas and Elena’s opposing means of interacting with others, it’s perhaps expected that their initial flirtations have a slightly awkward opposites-attract quality to them, which is made charming by Grineviciute and Cicenas.
Given Dovydas and Elena’s opposing means of interacting with others, it’s perhaps expected that their initial flirtations have a slightly awkward opposites-attract quality to them, which is made charming by Grineviciute and Cicenas.
- 4/28/2024
- by Derek Smith
- Slant Magazine
It takes a minute to get what’s really going on in Marija Kavtaradze’s Slow. Once it clicks, the film becomes eerily relatable. The characters feel like friends and acquaintances, and the conversations appear to be the kind we have in real life. I’m obviously speaking from a personal perspective here, but not since Spike Jonze’s Her (2013) have we seen a film on relationships that speaks to its audience on such a personal level. The intentionally done grainy texture and the extreme close-up shots only make the experience more intense. Although the primary focus of the show is the asexuality of its male lead—something that hasn’t been explored much by cinema—the film as a whole is a deconstruction of intimacy and relationships. Understandably, Slow has been quite a critical darling, from winning at the Sundance film festival to being selected as the official Lithuanian entry for the 2024 Academy Awards.
- 4/1/2024
- by Rohitavra Majumdar
- Film Fugitives
"I'm never going to stop caring." An official US trailer has arrived for an indie romance film from Lithuania titled Slow, made by filmmaker Marija Kavtaradze. This initially premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival last year where it received some rave reviews, before going on to play at many other fests including Sydney, Karlovy Vary, Galway, Helsinki, Zurich, Nashville, Hamburg, London, and AFI Fest last fall. Slow is a unique film about love showing a story of two people, one of them asexual, who prefer to take it slow and let their intimacy build in its own way. Dancer Elena and sign language interpreter Dovydas meet and form a beautiful bond. As they dive into a new relationship, they must also learn to navigate how to build their own kind of intimacy. The film stars Greta Grinevičiūtė as Elena & Kęstutis Cicėnas as Dovydas, with Rimante Valiukaite. "Through dance, tense quietude,...
- 3/28/2024
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
“Slow,” Marija Kavtaradze’s delicate romance, won the Crystal Arrow at the 15th edition of Les Arcs Film Festival from a jury presided over by Oscar-nominated Iranian director Asghar Farhadi (“A Separation”).
Kavtaradze’s sophomore outing, “Slow” world premiered at the Sundance Film Festival where it won best director. The film revolves around the bond between Elena (Greta Grinevičiūtė), a contemporary dancer teaching to deaf youth, and Dovydas (Kęstutis Cicėnas), a sign language interpreter class.
“The Teachers’ Lounge,” meanwhile, won the jury prize. The satirical movie, directed Ilker Çatak, world premiered at the Berlin Film Festival, in the Panorama section, and was just shortlisted in the Oscar’s international feature film race. Leonie Benesch stars an idealistic teacher who tries to uncover a thief within her school and sparks chaos in the process.
Dimitra Vlagopoulou won best actress for her performance as an entertainer at an all-inclusive Greek resort in...
Kavtaradze’s sophomore outing, “Slow” world premiered at the Sundance Film Festival where it won best director. The film revolves around the bond between Elena (Greta Grinevičiūtė), a contemporary dancer teaching to deaf youth, and Dovydas (Kęstutis Cicėnas), a sign language interpreter class.
“The Teachers’ Lounge,” meanwhile, won the jury prize. The satirical movie, directed Ilker Çatak, world premiered at the Berlin Film Festival, in the Panorama section, and was just shortlisted in the Oscar’s international feature film race. Leonie Benesch stars an idealistic teacher who tries to uncover a thief within her school and sparks chaos in the process.
Dimitra Vlagopoulou won best actress for her performance as an entertainer at an all-inclusive Greek resort in...
- 12/23/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Writer-director Marija Kavtaradze’s sophomore feature Slow follows the complicated romance between a contemporary dancer named Elena (Greta Grinevičiūtė) and an asexual sign language interpreter named Dovydas (Kęstutis Cicėnas). Though the pair share an intense chemistry, their individual sexual needs and desires (or lack thereof) are a source of constant compromise and adjustment, leading to inevitable strain. Cinematographer Laurynas Bareiša talks about working on the project, which is distinct for being the first Lithuanian film shot on 16mm in approximately a decade. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being […]
The post “Nobody Shot a Feature Film on 16mm in Lithuania for a Long Time”: Dp Laurynas Bareiša on Slow first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “Nobody Shot a Feature Film on 16mm in Lithuania for a Long Time”: Dp Laurynas Bareiša on Slow first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 2/6/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Writer-director Marija Kavtaradze’s sophomore feature Slow follows the complicated romance between a contemporary dancer named Elena (Greta Grinevičiūtė) and an asexual sign language interpreter named Dovydas (Kęstutis Cicėnas). Though the pair share an intense chemistry, their individual sexual needs and desires (or lack thereof) are a source of constant compromise and adjustment, leading to inevitable strain. Cinematographer Laurynas Bareiša talks about working on the project, which is distinct for being the first Lithuanian film shot on 16mm in approximately a decade. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being […]
The post “Nobody Shot a Feature Film on 16mm in Lithuania for a Long Time”: Dp Laurynas Bareiša on Slow first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “Nobody Shot a Feature Film on 16mm in Lithuania for a Long Time”: Dp Laurynas Bareiša on Slow first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 2/6/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
When contemporary dancer Elena (Greta Grinevičiūtė) meets sign language interpreter Dovydas (Kęstutis Cicėnas), they’re immediately attracted to each other. Slowly, their bond grows more intimate, but becomes somewhat complicated when Dovydas discloses his asexuality. Yet the pair commit to recognizing and facilitating each other’s needs—until they inevitably become weary of constant compromise, leading them to explore the limits of their relationship. Slow, writer-director Marija Kavtaradze’s sophomore feature, premiered at Sundance in the World Cinema Dramatic category. Editor Silvija Vilkaite discusses how she approached cutting the film, a process which she considers “a pleasure.” See all responses to our annual Sundance […]
The post “Be Very Conscious About Pruning Unnecessary Branches”: Editor Silvija Vilkaite on Slow first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “Be Very Conscious About Pruning Unnecessary Branches”: Editor Silvija Vilkaite on Slow first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 2/6/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
When contemporary dancer Elena (Greta Grinevičiūtė) meets sign language interpreter Dovydas (Kęstutis Cicėnas), they’re immediately attracted to each other. Slowly, their bond grows more intimate, but becomes somewhat complicated when Dovydas discloses his asexuality. Yet the pair commit to recognizing and facilitating each other’s needs—until they inevitably become weary of constant compromise, leading them to explore the limits of their relationship. Slow, writer-director Marija Kavtaradze’s sophomore feature, premiered at Sundance in the World Cinema Dramatic category. Editor Silvija Vilkaite discusses how she approached cutting the film, a process which she considers “a pleasure.” See all responses to our annual Sundance […]
The post “Be Very Conscious About Pruning Unnecessary Branches”: Editor Silvija Vilkaite on Slow first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “Be Very Conscious About Pruning Unnecessary Branches”: Editor Silvija Vilkaite on Slow first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 2/6/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Relationships are never easy. Ask any random person on the street and they will tell you that relationships are hard work. No matter how in love two parties are, there will always be those unexpected life obstacles that will put that relationship to the test, but if you know you’ve found the right person, both parties can survive those together.
But what if one of those life hurdles is something one party member doesn’t expect or understand? What if their partner is someone who identifies as asexual? This is a conflict that one of the main characters of Slow, Elena (Greta Grinevičiūtė), faces when she falls in love with and starts a relationship with an asexual man named Dovydas (Kęstutis Cicėnas), and the end result is a romance that is equally both beautiful and heartbreaking.
Slow is the sophomore feature of Lithuanian filmmaker Marija Kavtaradze, who serves as...
But what if one of those life hurdles is something one party member doesn’t expect or understand? What if their partner is someone who identifies as asexual? This is a conflict that one of the main characters of Slow, Elena (Greta Grinevičiūtė), faces when she falls in love with and starts a relationship with an asexual man named Dovydas (Kęstutis Cicėnas), and the end result is a romance that is equally both beautiful and heartbreaking.
Slow is the sophomore feature of Lithuanian filmmaker Marija Kavtaradze, who serves as...
- 1/30/2023
- by Timothy Lee
- Uinterview
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