Ten Minutes Before the Flight of Icarus (S)

Director Arunas Matelis is convinced that modern viewers don't need a simple, clearly-outlined plot to understand a story. After all, they are old pros at watching music videos, which lack any clear narrative structure. They can figure out story and meaning much like an eyewitness would, and this is precisely what the director wants to make of his audience. With this short documentary, he generates enough atmosphere to tempt us into wondering what's going on before our eyes, what's about to happen. Filmed in Uzupis, an old neighbourhood in Vilnius, Ten Minutes Before the Flight of Icarus primarily offers a view of destruction and ruin, but at the same time you can feel something in the air. It is this evocative power that makes Matelis one of the most highly-praised filmmakers in Central and Eastern Europe today.