Praeis

Praeis, released in 2024, is a Lithuanian short film written and directed by Dovydas Drakšas. The 27 minute short follows Ada (Ieva Kaniušaitė) as she graduates and is forced to face the reality of her father’s (Šarūnas Puidokas) nature, fighting against her childhood perception of him. Set in the 90’s, this story navigates themes of self identity, parenthood, guilt and the cyclical nature which family can create. “Praeis” itself translates directly to “it’ll pass” in English, further emphasising the film’s focus on constantly evolving relationships as we grow and change as human beings. The heartfelt drama is condensed, focusing almost exclusively on our two main characters as their dynamic evolves, or spirals, overtime.

The story opens with shots of nature/natural elements, such as trees and a burning fire, which relates to the theme of unavoidable evolution of personal relationships through experience. Ada’s father works as a street cigarette dealer, the objects which are able to symbolically display each stage of their likeness. Ada chokes towards the beginning and states that her father also does not smoke, but can later be seen smoking with no difficulty, portraying how she is breaking away from this bond; this is cemented later when her father is denied the opportunity to smoke a cigarette, it is too late for him to bend towards her preferences. Ada’s more stereotypically masculine appearance amongst her location and time period could also suggest an idolisation of her only present parent, one which is now fading away as she accepts the truth. In case anyone in the audience is skeptical of this truth, the film confirms the paternal figure’s priorities after he disregards acknowledgement of his daughter during a robbery. This short fantastically uses a plethora of physical evidence to reflect the current state of connection between characters. More examples of this include an injury closer towards Ada’s eye after confronting her father (as much as it hurts, she can finally see for herself) and her father placing Ada to bed towards the climax (he is able to physically lay their relationship to bed).

Whilst Ada’s view is intensely thorough, it is hard to wonder whether the short could benefit from a more in depth perspective of the father, as his guilt and self-disappointed is slightly difficult to place within the short duration we spend with these characters. This is of course, not his story after all, so this does not overly harm the narrative. The 90’s setting undoubtedly struck a chord with older audiences also, as they can reflect upon their own life and assess relationships they may have had or lost in the past - this assists in forming a closeness to Ada’s life. Credit can be attributed to Anastasiya Mykhaylova for this production design, who has stated that “…a lot of production design focused on creating a historically accurate atmosphere: from cigarette box designs to small details of prints that adorned the walls…”

Music for the short is credited to Agnė Matulevičiūtė which is very well composed in a somber, drawn out and almost soft fashion which complements the plot nicely. Both main characters often find themselves technically submissive to the side of the frame, mostly dominated by open space. This could show how they are not truly aligned within their own lives and often feel disoriented within the relationships. Various angles also display a tunnelled vision of Ada or her father, linking to a separation or a secludedness from one another. Ada’s neckwear also consists of a bright blue necklace alongside a dark black necklace, representing the polar opposite visions of her dad that exist simultaneously in her own mind. The colour palette is generally bright, however instances exist in which typically bright colours are also presented as muted, another allegory for Ada’s thoughts towards her father. The lack name given to this character, simply listed as “father”, also helps creating a mysterious identity which cannot be labelled singularly by Ada or the audience. These ideas and subliminal messages upon the eye can of course be credited to every bright mind who worked behind the camera, such as cinematographer Tamás Méder. The short was created under the Paprastesni production company and London film school, undergoing a world premiere at Cannes Film Festival 2024, winning a multitude of awards and nominations upon release.

A bittersweet ending rounds off the film, actively engaging an audience to take a stronger hold in their own lives if they are troubled by damaging relationships, even if they are held back by positive memories. Whilst often bleak, the product carries some warming statements surrounding the importance of self preservation over fleeting fantasies. An excellent combination of camera work, strong acting and physical production nicely wraps up this story with a necessary message which translates well across the cultures, gender and other differing identity factors. A highly recommended watch for anybody who is interested in or can relate to the subject material.