Lithuanian Cinema: An Open History

The Day of the Fish

1 hr. 22 min. | Drama | Pegi 13

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Pregnant Veronika is examined by a doctor. On a computer screen, he even shows her a creature floating in the fluid, something about which the expectant mother feels strangely uneasy. A sudden leap, and Veronika is no longer in a contemporary city but among a flock of sheep, accompanied by a strangely dressed young man named Ihu, who takes her to his mother. The woman seats Veronika at a sewing machine: she will not be allowed to leave until she has sewn clothes for the entire village. No – it turns out to be only Veronika’s literary experiment, which her editor dislikes: too vague, unclear… In reality, Veronika works as a court clerk and has a tiny room in an abandoned house. In another dream, about coffins, the lonely old man Jokūbas tells her, and gives Veronika his wife’s wedding dress. Dressed up, the two go out for coffee. Life goes on. The film captures the texture of a contemporary city and its bohemian characters. Veronika is an aspiring writer, suffocating in a less-than-harmonious environment and searching for salvation within herself. The film is based on motifs from the short stories of Jolita Skablauskaitė.
Algimantas Puipa

Algimantas Puipa

A graduate of the Moscow Film School (VGIK) and has worked as a director at the Lithuania Film Studio. His debut was the two-part “Road Signs” from 1974. He has made more than 20 feature films throughout his career, which were screened and won awards at international festivals. In 1988 he won the Grand Prix at the Locarno International Film Festival for “Eternal Light”. “Cinephilia” is his latest film.
Languages
Lithuanian
Subtitles
English
Produced
1989: Lithuania

Film information

Director
Algimantas Puipa
Screenplay
Liucija Armonaitė, Regina Vosyliūtė
Music
Juozas Širvinskas
Cinematography
Rimantas Juodvalkis, Vytautas Survila
Cast
Daiva Stubraitė, Sakalas Uždavinys, Danutė Juronytė, Antanas Mackevičius, Virginija Kelmelytė, Irena Žitkutė, Gintautas Pečiūra, Kostas Smoriginas, Vidas Petkevičius, Jonas Naujokas
More information
www.imdb.com

Screenings

Saturday, 12 November

11:30

Maironis Lithuanian Literature Museum · Hall 1

Past screening

Thursday, 17 November

17:30

Martynas Mažvydas National Library · Conference hall

Past screening

Friday, 18 November

17:30

Ievos Simonaitytės viešoji biblioteka · Hall 1

Past screening