There’s no longer any need to prove that Kaunas is a film-friendly city. Both Pažaislis and the interiors and exteriors of modernist architecture have already made appearances in numerous international projects. This time, it is Šilainiai that is preparing for its journey to the big screen. The setting of director Romas Zabarauskas’ latest film The Activist is so central to the story that he decided to hold the national premiere in Kaunas. The premiere will take place on September 16, and on September 20 at Romuva cinema, Romas, and the film’s lead actor, Robertas Petraitis, will answer questions from the audience after the screening.
It’s easy to get drawn into The Activist – the sharp sequence of events and the ghostly concrete crowns of Šilainiai emerging in the dark successfully contrast with the soft jazz and human dramas playing in the background. This Kaunas-based detective story tells the tale of… well, the events aren’t exactly real, but you’ll definitely notice parallels with things that actually happened in Kaunas a few years ago during the Kaunas Pride march.
The Activist follows a Šilainiai resident who, in search of his boyfriend’s killer, infiltrates a neo-Nazi group. The intrigue is brought to life by a new generation of actors, including Lukas Malinauskas, Teklė Baroti, and Elžbieta Latėnaitė. This isn’t just a fast-paced crime story – it’s also a reflection on the increasingly visible divisions in real life. It also poses a question – is the truth worth the price that one must pay to get to it? Romas Zabarauskas will tell us more about The Activist, which concludes the trilogy that began with The Lawyer and The Writer.
It’s always a pleasure when people choose to create in Kaunas, but still – why Kaunas? Why is it in Šilainiai that Andrius and his boyfriend have created a cozy home, where in the end, only one resident remains?
My grandparents used to live in Šilainiai – though only briefly. When I was a teenager, they moved there rather unexpectedly but later returned to Vilnius. That’s how I got to know Šilainiai, and I’ve always been impressed by its architecture. Today, Kaunas has done a good job of showcasing its modernist side, but Soviet brutalist architecture is still rarely explored in culture. Of course, I haven’t toured all of Lithuania’s residential districts, but to me, Šilainiai feels especially fitting for a film noir aesthetic. So, the film’s cinematographer Narvydas Naujalis and I immediately agreed that we would film the exteriors in Šilainiai, so the film would gain more authenticity and uniqueness. The interiors, however, were filmed in the capital, even though the story largely unfolds in Kaunas.
Could we view Šilainiai in the film not only as a physical place but also as a state? Could the concept of “inner Šilainiai” work as a metaphor for internal exile, isolation, or fear of being oneself?
There can be many interpretations, but yours sounds very dramatic to me. I certainly don’t think negatively about Šilainiai. They perform a very important aesthetic function in the film. I would say that for me, this situation is more associated with a small person in a big city. After all, ever since the post-World War II era, cinema has developed images of threatening urban spaces, tied to the postwar mood and a turn toward working-class stories. That’s where I truly see parallels.
Did the fact that you’re not from Kaunas give you more creative freedom to explore the city’s sensitive issues?
Are you referring to criticism of government actions, like when marches are not allowed to take place? But I’ve made films that criticize things happening in Vilnius, too – take The Strike, for example. I don’t think The Activist is exceptional in that regard. Perhaps the paradox lies in the fact that we collaborated with Kaunas IN Film Office, which is also part of the municipal structure. That said, I have to give credit to the office – they really helped us in finding the best locations and coordinating filming details.
Residents of Kaunas city center and Žaliakalnis are already used to film crews. The city’s historic areas are constantly “acting” in international productions. But how did things go in Šilainiai?
Most of our filming took place at night, and we informed residents in advance – both through the media and by posting notices in stairwells. After all, we were disruptive: we even shone spotlights into windows. And yes, we needed police presence too! On the very first day of filming, Vaclovas Gumuliauskas – better known as Vaslov Goom – who plays one of the lead roles, accidentally smashed a car headlight while running. We called the police, they tracked down the owner via the license plate, and luckily, she was still awake and came out to talk. We managed to resolve everything amicably and covered the damage. Of course, this is a lesson for us; we should have taken more serious security measures – I am also grateful to Vaclovas himself for being so understanding. On the other hand, incidents like this happen when shooting a film of this nature, and it also gave us a chance to appreciate just how friendly Šilainiai residents are.
The lead character, Andrius, is played by Robertas Petraitis, who became a star after Pietinia Kronikas and recently began working at the National Kaunas Drama Theatre. How did you discover him?
In a usual way: through auditions, just like with all the other actors. That’s always how I work. And quite often, it happens that I notice talented people early on. Back when they were still unknown, both Marius Repšys and Beata Tiškevič acted in my films! We selected Robertas and created a test scene as far back as 2021, and only afterward did he appear in a film by Ignas Miškinis. Later, he said himself that the experience in The Activist was completely different. In my films, the focus is on the close-up – on focused acting that conveys the characters’ thoughts.
The first and so far, the only Kaunas Pride took place in September 2021. How many parallels are there with real events in the film, whose characters each prepare for the march on Laisvės Avenue in their own way?
I had the initial idea in 2018, and that’s when I started developing the structure of the narrative. At the time, Kaunas Pride hadn’t even been discussed publicly yet. In fact, a lot of things happened after we had imagined them, though, I understand it might seem like we just copied real events [laughs]. But The Activist is definitely not a commentary on the actual march or the events surrounding it. Still, I’m genuinely curious to see how the Kaunas Pride organizers will react to and interpret the film.
Is filmmaking a form of activism for you?
I’m not an activist, although I do have authentic experiences connected to the field of activism. I also don’t consider this film as activism. In fact, I think labeling it that way might even push viewers away, since there’s already so much activist cinema today. Of course, I don’t create in a vacuum, and again, I can invite you to look back at the history of cinema. Film noir classics are inevitably tied to the social and political contexts of their time. For example, the femme fatale character was, in a way, cinema’s response to societal fears surrounding the rise of feminism. I’m using that same cinematic vocabulary, only now, I’m speaking about the fears of the LGBTQ+ community.
It would be reductive to say that watching The Activist will change your perspective, but overall, I’m interested in the complexity of cinema and global political themes. I also find it compelling to reflect on the (im)possibility of positive change in society. I’m an optimist myself and believe that change is possible – but it’s complicated. And it’s precisely that complexity that I’m interested in portraying. I’m still refining my creative direction, and The Activist is its culmination. That said, I want to reassure readers that it’s not necessary to have seen the previous parts of the trilogy before watching this film.
Everything you talk about this year is The Activist, but what’s next?
When I talk about The Activist, I’m already speaking in the past tense [laughs]. I’m gradually trying to step away from producing to focus more on the creative side. It became difficult to juggle all the roles, so now I’m developing a new film in which I’m no longer the lead producer. Right now, we’re working on a test shoot, but the film likely won’t come out until around 2028. That’s the path of a creator – I think and plan in five-year intervals.
