Stiklo salis

In STIKLO SALIS (the title was translated in the print I saw as A LAND OF GLASS) a woman lives with her husband, young daughter and newborn son in an isolated house surrounded by an icy, wintry landscape. She's suffering from rather severe postpartum depression. Her husband disregards it like a headache, and her gynecologist takes advantage of her need for connection by starting an affair with her. Things happen, but not in such a way that they constitute a conventional story; yet it's also not really episodic. A moody, oppressive, disengaged, and rather cold atmosphere permeates the short but slow-paced story, and as the heroine's condition worsens she becomes a less and less reliable narrator.

The photography is also strange and beautiful. For most of the first half of the film every indoor setting is bathed in a thick blue light while characters are almost always lit in bright orange. Later other colors are introduced in what appear to be very significant ways, but I would have to see the film again to decipher their possible meanings. The sound mix is also meticulously crafted; every effect is absolutely vital to the way the film comes across, and a lush, solemn, and at times almost mystical score really completes the package. All in all A LAND OF GLASS is quietly astonishing.

If there is a person who has stolen all the limelight related to Lithuanian cinema than it is surely Sarunas Bartas. He is very much respected in France and has friends like Claire Denis and Leos Carax. This particular film is a good introduction to Lithuanian cinema which is currently receiving ample funds from various European agencies. The artistic success of Janina Lapinskaite's film has proved beyond doubt that there is more to Lithuanian cinema than Sarunas Bartas.A close look at Stiklo Salis (A land of glass) proves that Janina Lapinskaite is very much a woman's director wherein her sympathy lies in promoting the role played by the lead actress.That is the reason why the principal female character has a very strong personality. This aspect can be appreciated by anyone regardless of whether the viewer is male or female. Jurga Kalvaityte has given a mesmerizing performance of mental agony. As far as two male characters : a husband and a gynecologist are concerned, they are shown as absolute idiots. Another strong point of this film is its location. It is a highly mysterious spot little bit similar to the place where Russian director Andrei Zvyagintsev shot his allegorical masterpiece "The Return".