RENOVATION
A award-winning drama from Lithuania
RENOVATION (original title: Renovacija) is an award-winning drama by the Lithuanian director Gabrielė Urbonaitė. The film portrays Ilona, a 29-year-old perfectionist who is about to turn 30 and is wondering whether her middle-class life with her boyfriend Matas is in line with her true desires.
The car has to be parked with pinpoint precision. The protagonist’s character is made clear right from the very first scene: Ilona is a perfectionist. Her boyfriend gets out of the car, exasperated. The couple have recently moved in together. The spacious flat in a quiet housing estate seems ideal for starting a life together. But shortly before her 30th birthday, Ilona, who works as a journalist, finds herself wondering what she really wants. The renovation of the block of flats, which has just begun, throws her off course – the construction noise disturbs her whilst she is writing. The cracks in the walls can certainly be interpreted symbolically. Ilona’s uncertainty is brought to life through shimmering 16-mm cinematography. Everything seems uncertain and up in the air. She befriends Oleg, a construction worker from Ukraine, and pretends to him that she is a poet. In fact, Ilona begins to put her feelings into words, and a surprising process of self-discovery gets underway.
