Nova Lituania is a 2019 Lithuanian film directed and written by Karolis Kaupinis. The black-and-white drama film deals with inter-war paranoia, nationalism and the identity crises of the nations occupied by the former USSR. The film was inspired by a real-life Lithuanian interwar political theorist Kazys Pakà ¡tas and his works on Dausuva.
It was selected as the Lithuanian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Oscar Academy Awards .
During the interwar period, Feliksas Gruodis, a Lithuanian geography professor played by Aleksas KazanaviÃÂius, tries to convince the government to establish a backup state overseas, in order to save their country from ruin. However, the idea is mostly mocked and opposed. Still, there is hope in the secret support from the elderly prime minister, portrayed by Vaidotas Martinaitis. The men debate who they should save â others or themselves?
Nova Lituania is the first feature film by Karolis Kaupinis and the third collaboration with producer Marija Razgutà(M-films) after the short films The Noisemaker in 2013 and Watchkeeping in 2017. The film is inspired by the life of interwar Lithuanian political theorist Kazys Pakà ¡tas and his work on Dausuva, the theoretical plan to create an alternative Lithuania to resist a possible invasion scenario. It has long been derided in Lithuanian culture. A popular post-war Lithuanian film, Adam Wants to be a Man (directed by Vytautas à ½alakeviÃÂius, 1959/Adomas Nori Bà «ti à ½mogumi), parodies him as an atypical castaway from another century.
Karolis Kaupinis became interested in Kazys Pakà ¡tas after seeing the modern play Madagascar by Marius Ivaà ¡keviÃÂius, which recounts the life of the theorist. He then decided to treat this Lithuanian historical figure in a post-modern way, mixing fictional elements with historical facts.
The film was generally very well received by critics. It received a 3.4/5 star rating on the Letterboxd based on 1108 votes from Internet users and 66% positive reviews based on 900 votes on the IMDB.