Drowning Dry

It starts with a kick to the head. Mixed martial arts competitor Lukas (Paulius Markevičius) has just handily defeated his opponent and celebrates with his wife, child, and friends backstage, setting the scene for a nimble combination of communal bonding and looming horrors.

Drowning Dry is the second of writer-director Laurynas Bareiša's films selected as Lithuania’s entry for the Best International Feature Academy Award. Winner of Locarno’s Best Director and Best Performance awards.

“Bareiša served as his own cinematographer on the film, and his sober, carefully orchestrated shots recall the work of Michael Haneke... We’re watching slices of life, but slices that are rearranged several times until they’re shaped into a credible story about overcoming trauma." – The Hollywood Reporter, Jordan Mintzer

"Director Laurynas Bareiša confirms his reputation as a rising talent... [Drowning Dry is] an exploration of trauma, which Bareiša investigates in unconventional ways that defy and subvert dramatic conventions... A stimulating and imaginative work... Engaging, yet tantalizingly withholding." – Variety, Alissa Simon

"Bareiša’s is a singular work: conceptually rich in its design and ideas, beautifully shot in its own evasive way, even cruelly funny... A film built on more subtly unnerving imagery––shot by the director himself" (Grade: A-) – The Film Stage, Rory O’Connor

“One of the year’s most affecting dramas... Fans of Ruben Östlund’s Force Majeure will find a kindred spirit in Drowning Dry." – Next Best Picture, Larry Fried

"Drowning Dry is a wonderfully destabilizing film hiding an ever-burning emotional fire beneath a layer of sophisticated sang-froid." – Cineuropa, Muriel Del Don

"Inventive... engrossing...." - Stephen Saito, The Moveable Fest

*WINNER*
Best Director Award – Locarno Film Festival
Best Performance Ensemble Award – Locarno FF
Jury Special Mention – Riga Int'l Film Festival
Best Film, Rampa Award – Seville European Film Festival
Best Baltic Director Award – Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival
Best Screenplay Award – Festival de Cinema Europeo Lecce
Best Actor Award (for Paulius Markevičius) – Festival de Cinema Europeo Lecce
Grand Prix – Taipei International Film Festival