PENSIVE

Young and shy college student Marius invites his classmates to a remote cottage to celebrate the graduation. At a crossroad in the woods stands a large rough-hewn wooden sculpture of a man shrinking back in horror. A classmate says it was made by a man who lost his entire family in a fire. Once the sound system is hooked up the rave shifts into high gear. Marius calls for volunteers to gather fallen branches and twigs for the barbeque. Instead, two classmates arrive with a wooden statue they dragged away from a circle of others in the adjoining field. Marius returns the statue to the field and places its head back on, but too late. The group comes under attack by a shadowy masked figure who lashes out with deadly force at everyone but Marius.

“I was eighteen years old, driving my first car (a Golf Mk2) to a party in the Lithuanian woods - all alone at night. The only thing illuminating the road was the headlights of my car. As I took a sharp turn in the middle of nowhere, a life- size wooden sculpture of Pensive Christ dominated my view. I literally locked eyes with it; and somehow felt that He was judging me for going into the party or whatever. This image has stayed with me to this day. Wooden sculptures of Pensive Christ can be found in weirdest spots all through the Baltic states. They sort of combine the folk and Christian traditions into a singular entity. Although our film has little to do with religion, the fear of being judged in that moment became my point of departure.”

DIRECTOR: Jonas Trukanas. SCREENPLAY: Jonas Trukanas, Titas Laucius. CINEMATOGRAPHY: Rokas Šydeikis. FILM EDITING: Dominykas Kilčiauskas. PRODUCTION DESIGNER: Paulius Aničas. MUSIC: Andrius Kauklys. Sound: Iveta Macevičiūtė. CAST: Šarūnas Rapolas Meiliešius, Gabija Bargailaitė, Marius Repšys, Donatas Šimukauskas Kipras Mašidlauskas, Povilas Jatkevičius. PRODUCERS: Emilija Sluskonyte, Donatas Datkevičius. PRODUCTION: Reason8 Films.