Successful corporate lawyer Marius has everything he could possibly want. Yet there is a void in his life, which he begins to feel even more strongly after the loss of his father. In his quiet grief, he begins to ask questions: about intimacy, loneliness, closeness. In search of connection, he ends up in an anonymous video chat and meets Ali, a Syrian refugee stuck in Belgrade. A digital flirtation develops between the two men, which soon turns into a deep connection – despite all their differences and boundaries. When Marius decides to meet Ali in person, a journey begins that challenges his understanding of responsibility, love, and political reality. THE LAWYER (original title: ADVOKATAS) is the third feature film by Lithuanian director Romas Zabarauskas and was shown at the BFI Flare in London in 2020, among other places. The film is a sensitive queer drama about the overlap between the private and the political, about queer relationships, and about the courage to show vulnerability. With restrained staging, precise acting, and political urgency, Zabarauskas has created a quiet but haunting film about empathy and self-empowerment.
What if bureaucracy separated you from love? That's what Marius wonders when he meets Ali online and falls in love.
Successful corporate lawyer Marius has everything he could possibly want. Yet there is a void in his life, which he begins to feel even more strongly after the loss of his father. In his quiet grief, he begins to ask questions: about intimacy, loneliness, closeness.
In search of connection, he ends up in an anonymous video chat and meets Ali, a Syrian refugee stuck in Belgrade. A digital flirtation develops between the two men, which soon turns into a deep connection – despite all their differences and boundaries. When Marius decides to meet Ali in person, a journey begins that challenges his understanding of responsibility, love, and political reality.
THE LAWYER (original title: ADVOKATAS) is the third feature film by Lithuanian director Romas Zabarauskas and was shown at the BFI Flare in London in 2020, among other places. The film is a sensitive queer drama about the overlap between the private and the political, about queer relationships, and about the courage to show vulnerability. With restrained staging, precise acting, and political urgency, Zabarauskas has created a quiet but haunting film about empathy and self-empowerment.