Cinema reflects the age, society and country it’s made in. For example, 1950s Hollywood portrayed romance as straightforward love between a man and a woman. They meet, get to know each other and soon Cupid’s arrow does its job. Wedding bells and a family follows, in that order. Obviously, this never really represented real life, but today relationships are more complicated than ever. As is the case in Slow.
Elena (Greta Grineviciute) is a contemporary dancer, instructor and choreographer. While teaching a class for death youths she meets Dovydas (Kestutis Cicenas), a sign language interpreter. The pair are immediately drawn towards each other, but as their friendship rapidly progresses towards romance his asexuality begins to become a stumbling block. Can their relationship overcome this hurdle?
Slow lives up to its name but it’s the deliberately pedestrian pacing which makes it so highly absorbing. We’re witness to Elena and Dovydas’ relationship from the very start, experiencing the highs and lows, ups and downs, along the way. This allows writer/director Marija Kavtaradze’s drama to feel incredible intimate. Slow is a persuasive meditation on modern romance.
Slow screens at Sundance Film Festival.
