Slow
There’s more than one way to love. Elena has hit it off big-time with Dovydas, an interpreter for the Deaf. But as their relationship blooms, he reveals that he is asexual, leaving the couple to explore new paths of intimacy and romance.
In a patriarchal, heteronormative, sex-obsessed culture, asexuality is often defined as being a lack of something. Most allosexuals—people who experience sexual desire—imagine that asexual people live a life closed off from deep connection with others. Contrary to popular belief, asexual folks are leading rich, intimate fulfilling lives with and without partners. Slow tells the story of an asexual sign-language interpreter named Dovydas (Kestutis Cicenas) and an allosexual dancer named Elena (Greta Grineviciute), whose attraction to each other drives them to do what all loving couples must: compromise, learn from each other, and try to find a path to lasting partnership. The hurdles they experience help the viewer reflect on their own concepts of intimacy, trust, and love. Lithuanian filmmaker Marija Kavtaradze has already won numerous awards for SLOW, including the World Cinema – Dramatic Directing Award at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.
—Heather Marie Bartels
- Director: Marija Kavtaradze
- Principal Cast: Greta Grinevičiūtė, Kęstutis Cicėnas
- Country: Lithuania, Spain, Sweden
- Year: 2023
- Running Time: 108 min.
- Producer: Marija Razgutė
- Screenplay: Marija Kavtaradze
- Cinematographers: Laurynas Bareiša
- Editors: Silvija Vilkaitė
- Music: Irya Gmeyner, Martin Hederos, Vincent Barriere
- Website: Official Film Website
- Awards: Sundance Film Festival 2023 (Jury Award: Directing: World Cinema Dramatic), Official Academy Awards® Submission 2024 (International Film), Les Arcs Fim Festival 2023 (Crystal Arrow),
- Filmography: Summer Survivors (2018)
- Language: Lithuanian, English
- Has Subtitles: Yes
- US Distributor: KimStim
- International Sales: Totem Films