The latest film by Lithuanian director Marija Kavtaradze, which deftly and compassionately examines intimacy and attraction, blossoms into a beautiful love affair. The tale revolves around Elena (Greta Grinevičiūtė), a modern dancer who teaches deaf youngsters a workshop, and her romantic relationship with Dovydas (Kęstutis Cicėnas), a sign language interpreter. She believes she is being rejected when Dovydas discloses that he is asexual. He makes it clear that he likes her, which is why he is telling her. They make the decision to give it a shot.
Filmed on 16mm film, Slow has a grainy, pleasantly tactile appearance that fits with its theme of exploring the range of human touch’s emotional potential. The story has a homey, personal feel thanks to the soft naturalism of Slow’s approach, which is comprised of lengthy shots, muted dialogue, and a moving handheld camera that frequently uses closeups. Carefully shown is Dovydas’s experience with asexuality, a topic that is underrepresented in cinema. Grinevičiūtė and Cicėnas have powerful performances, and Elena and Dovydas’s relationship develops slowly and deliberately. Their growing attraction is hinted at by subtle cues like flirtatious looks and long, meaningful pauses between sentences that make for compelling viewing.
However, it seems as though possibly too much is being kept hidden. There’s a grounded tension in the brief encounter between Elena and her messy ex that contrasts with the idealistic central love affair. The two engage in lighthearted repartee about their morally compromised state. As a result, rather than feeling like real conflicts between two people, the sequences when Elena and Dovydas negotiate their conflicting desires—she wants to be physically wanted, while he fears disappointing her—can appear to be cerebral explorations of a concept. The prolonged sequences showcasing Elena’s mastery of her own physique as a dancer allude to a relationship between her line of work and her celebration of the body’s sensuality. But Dovydas’s intentions are still mostly unknown.
This causes the movie to become erratic, but at the conclusion, Slow finds its balance again by narrating a poignant, intelligent, and insightful tale about the various ways in which individuals might fall in love. Dovydas remarks, “I don’t think there’s one correct way of being together,” while Elena rests her head on his shoulder during a late-night cab trip. “I don’t either,” she answers.
Irish and UK theatres will open Slow on May 24.
