“Its intelligent and captivating use of visual storytelling, along with nuanced performances, elevates it beyond a simple rom-com.”
Even the most meticulous plans can’t avoid life’s interjections. In Renovation, the title itself serves as a metaphor for the unexpected disruptions that can occur in life, much like a renovation that alters the familiar structure of a space. Gabrielė Urbonaitė’s debut feature, premiering in Karlovy Vary’s Proxima competition, is a charming yet incisive exploration of life’s unpredictable disruptions. What sets this film apart is Urbonaitė’s unique perspective on this universal theme, challenging conventional notions of control and self-discovery.
The film introduces us to Ilona (Žygimantė Elena Jakštaitė), a meticulous 29-year-old journalist whose life and career are equally meticulously charted. Her carefully curated existence in a new apartment, alongside her seemingly ideal partner Matas (Šarūnas Zenkevičius), is abruptly upended by the building’s unexpected renovation. What begins as an unwelcome disruption gradually evolves into an unforeseen connection with Oleg (Roman Lutskyi), one of the construction workers, who reveals a surprising depth of understanding. As the physical discomfort of her apartment’s transformation mounts, parallel cracks begin to appear in Ilona’s carefully constructed aspirations, forcing a reevaluation of her life’s trajectory.
Urbonaitė, in collaboration with production designer Sigita Jonaitytė, masterfully crafts a physical space that serves as a profound visual metaphor for Ilona’s internal landscape. The film opens with the protagonist’s impeccably organized, color-coordinated apartment, featuring a lone bonsai plant by the window. This window and bonsai tree subtly evolve into silent narrators of Ilona’s journey; much like the bonsai, her life is carefully controlled until circumstances compel her to relinquish that grip. The apartment’s renovation ceases to be mere background noise, instead becoming a visceral siren, echoing the internal fissures that demand attention and resolution within Ilona herself. While the narrative occasionally brushes against familiar romantic drama tropes – where a female protagonist finds liberation through a supportive male figure – Urbonaitė deftly maintains a grounded, humanistic realism. This commitment to authenticity ensures an ending that feels genuinely liberating, steering clear of the often narcissistic self-assurance typical of female leads in such narratives.
Cinematographer Vytautas Katkus, known for his work on Toxic and whose own feature debut The Visitor also premiered at Karlovy Vary, lends Renovation a distinctive visual language. Under his acute cinematic eye, Ilona is shown within the apartment’s spatial boundaries. The tight, almost claustrophobic framing emphasizes her perceived sense of control and, inversely, her mental stagnation. This visual imprisonment is powerfully broken only in the film’s culminating moments, as the character steps beyond her static, limited space into the liberating expanse of the outside world, mirroring her profound personal transformation.
Renovation ultimately shines as a compelling character study, presenting a narrative of forced introspection and growth. Its intelligent and captivating use of visual storytelling, along with nuanced performances, elevates it beyond a simple rom-com, inviting audiences to consider the liberating potential of life’s unexpected disturbances. It’s a promising debut that asserts Urbonaitė’s unique voice in contemporary Lithuanian cinema.