KimStim Films debuted the official trailer for Slow (Tu man nieko neprimeni), the romantic drama film selected as Lithuania’s Official Oscar® selection for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.

Slow stars Greta Grinevičiūtė and Kęstutis Cicėnas as a couple who must learn to navigate their relationship after one discloses that they’re asexual.

Also starring in the film are Pijus Ganusauskas and Laima Akstinaitė.

Release Date

Directed by Marija Kavtaradze, Slow world premiered at the Sundance Film Festival where Kavtaradze won the Directing Award in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition; and will open at IFC Center in New York on May 3rd, and at Laemmle Royal in Los Angeles and at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago on May 10th. Other cities will follow.

Synopsis

Contemporary dancer Elena meets Dovydas when he is assigned to interpret via sign language in a class she is teaching to deaf youth. Their connection is immediate, kinetic, and frictionless. As they gravitate toward each other, resisting the forces and interventions of their separate daily lives, their bond deepens from platonic to romantic. When Dovydas discloses his asexuality, the couple commit themselves to honoring their individual needs in tandem. As they continue to weave more tightly together, they struggle to negotiate sacrifice and compromise and are forced to discover the edges of their generosity toward the other.

Marija Kavtaradze’s sophomore feature Slow shows off her muscular intimacy skills. Through dance, tense quietude, and a stunningly singular exploration of asexuality, she forefronts physicality and its limitations in the expression of emotional expectation. The two leads, Greta Grinevičiūtė (Elena) and Kęstutis Cicėnas (Dovydas), conjure undeniable chemistry and heartbreakingly complicated, stubborn, and private humanity. The result is an instantly recognizable dance between self and other; this one choreographed with elegance, grace, and love.

Reviews

Loud and Clear Reviews gave the film a perfect 5 of 5 stars writing, “The only complaint with Slow is that it is so natural that the final twenty-five minutes (with a hastily-created conflict) feel a little forced. Otherwise, Marija Kavtaradze has made an admirable romantic drama – slow-moving but tender. And its power comes from the way it portrays asexual relationships. At one point, Dovydas says to Elena, “I don’t think there’s one correct way of being together.” It is a statement she agrees with and one the film seeks to show as it builds their romance. There is no such thing as an identical bond or couple. Even if the film hits the typical beats from a normal love story, Kavtaradze demonstrates how each romantic journey can have its distinct parts. Slow is a celebration of a different way to love and a film worth seeing at Sundance 2023.”

Official Trailer

Watch the official trailer for Slow.