“The Activist”, interview with director Romas Zabarauskas

Presented at the Lovers Film Festival, “The Activist” marks the fifth feature by Lithuanian filmmaker Romas Zabarauskas. Set in Kaunas, the country’s second-largest city, the film follows Andrius, a young man investigating the murder of his partner Deividas, an LGBTQ+ activist organising the city’s first Pride event.

What begins as a personal quest quickly expands into a broader political inquiry. Andrius infiltrates extremist groups connected to neo-Nazi networks, uncovering a web of hostility and institutional indifference. Romas Zabarauskas situates the narrative within a contemporary European context in which far-right ideologies are gaining visibility and influence.

Beyond the Far Right: A Self-Critical Perspective

While the film directly confronts extremist violence, its scope extends further. Zabarauskas deliberately critiques not only the far right but also the shortcomings of liberal institutions. “We have to look at what doesn’t work,” he explains, emphasising the importance of self-reflection within progressive movements.

The director frames the film as ultimately optimistic, reaffirming the value of democratic systems while acknowledging their fragility. Media, political structures, and law enforcement are depicted as necessary yet imperfect mechanisms that require active civic engagement to function effectively. This layered perspective avoids cynicism while maintaining a critical edge.

An Unlikely Protagonist

Andrius serves as an unconventional entry point into the narrative. Initially distant from activism and still grappling with his own identity, he stands in sharp contrast to his partner’s public commitment. This distance allows the character to evolve organically throughout the film.

“He starts in the closet and doesn’t support his boyfriend’s values,” Romas Zabarauskas notes. As the investigation progresses, Andrius confronts societal indifference and personal grief, gradually embracing the ideals he once resisted. This transformation is designed to resonate with audiences beyond activist circles, expanding the film’s emotional accessibility.

Reimagining Film Noir

Drawing on the tradition of film noir, Romas Zabarauskas reinterprets the genre through a contemporary and queer perspective. He recalls how mid-20th-century crime melodramas, later defined as noir by French critics, reflected societal anxieties of the time, particularly around gender roles.

In “The Activist”, this framework is updated to explore fears surrounding LGBTQ+ visibility. The director introduces characters that occupy morally ambiguous positions, including queer figures who challenge conventional representation. “Queer people can be anything across the spectrum,” he states, rejecting reductive portrayals limited to victimhood or moral virtue.

Representation Beyond Didacticism

Romas Zabarauskas positions his work against a tendency in arthouse cinema to adopt overtly educational tones when addressing queer themes. While acknowledging the value of films such as Milk, he advocates for a broader narrative range.

For him, true equality in representation lies in complexity. By allowing queer characters to be both protagonists and antagonists, “The Activist” embraces the diversity of human behaviour. This approach reflects the director’s personal experience, having publicly come out in Lithuania in 2011, when visibility remained limited.

Future Directions

Looking ahead, Romas Zabarauskas signals a shift in focus. While continuing to explore themes of power and relationships, his upcoming work may move beyond explicitly queer narratives. Among his current projects is a miniseries dedicated to Jonas Mekas, the influential Lithuanian filmmaker and co-founder of Anthology Film Archives.

Developed within the framework of a PhD at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, the project reflects a long-term commitment to cinematic history and experimentation. It also suggests an expansion of Zabarauskas’s artistic scope, bridging personal, political and historical dimensions.

Plot