Ave, Vita

The theme of war and its echoes is of particular significance in the work of director Almantas Grikevičius – it is at the heart of his best features, Jausmai (Feelings, 1968), Ave, Vita (1970), Faktas (Fact, 1981) and other works. The war marked the childhood of the director’s generation, snatching away their loved ones. For that reason, it was very important for that generation of Lithuanian filmmakers to understand why they lost what they could have had, and that is clearly reflected in their films. As early as in his first independently made feature, Ave, Vita, Grikevičius sought to understand the past from the perspective of the present, to discover the human measure of history. Arguably one of his most important films, Ave, Vita made Grikevičius mature as a director, shaping his creative direction and style.