Summer Survivors

Summer Survivors (Lithuanian: Išgyventi vasarą) is a 2018 Lithuanian drama film written and directed by Marija Kavtaradzė.

It aims to portray mental illnesses, their impact on the lives of young adults, and their resilience.

The film had its world premiere on September 7, 2018, at the Toronto International Film Festival, its European premiere at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival on November 22, 2018, and its Lithuanian premiere at the Vilnius International Film Festival (Kino Pavasaris) in April 2019.

Synopsis
An ambitious young research psychologist, Indrė, portrayed by Indrė Patkauskaitė, agrees to transport two patients, played by Gelminė Glemžaitė and Paulius Markevičius, from one psychiatric unit to another in exchange for research privileges at her clinic. She finds herself the leader of a rather rag-tag band on the long journey to the sea. Outgoing Paulius is a young man whose manic stage of his bipolar disorder stands in great contrast to the introvert Justė whose wounds are hidden from sight, but they both struggle to fight the inner battles that define them. As they all navigate the survival process together, what looks like a carefree summer ride with friends sharing laughs from the outside, could actually be the beginning of healing in this bittersweet story that — just like summer — is full of hopes, surprises and the promise that anything is possible.

Distribution

 * Indrė Patkauskaitė: Indrė
 * Gelminė Glemžaitė: Justė
 * Paulius Markevičius: Paulius
 * Vilija Grigaitytė: Danguolė
 * Giedrė Gudeikienė: Cafeteria Employee
 * Giedrius Juršys: Nurse
 * Adrija Čepaitė-Palšauskienė: Doctor
 * Larisa Kalpokaitė: Doctor Jolanta
 * Karolis Kaupinis: Doctor
 * Danas Kavaliauskas: Automechanic's Son
 * Tekle Kavtaradzė: Waitress
 * Giedrius Kiela: Patient
 * Ligita Kondrotaitė: Doctor
 * Jurgis Marčėnas: Nurse
 * Inga Maškarina: Patient
 * Darius Meškauskas: Algis
 * Lilija Milašienė: Austė's Mother
 * Juozas Milašius: Austė's Father
 * Robertas Narkus: Gas Station Attendant
 * Šarūnas Puidokas: Automechanic
 * Lina Rastokaitė: Nurse
 * Inga Šepetkaitė: Young Woman at Gas Station
 * Dovilė Šilkaitytė: Patient
 * Agnė Sirgėdaitė: Palanga Waitress
 * Julija Steponaityte: Julija
 * Ieva Triskauskaitė: Austė
 * Aldona Vilutytė: Doctor
 * Donatas Želvys: Brother Laurynas
 * Šarūnas Zenkevičius: Laughing Man

Production
This film is the debut film written and directed by Marija Kavtaradzė.

This is the first collaboration between Marija Kavtaradzė, as a director and writer, and producer Marija Razgutė, following Kavtaradzė's co-writing on the film The Saint produced by M-Films.

Summer Survivors achieved 26k admissions in the Lithuanian box office, making it the most appreciated independent Lithuanian film in 2019.

Filming began on 24 August 2017, and ended on 25 September 2017.

Reception
The film received generally positive reviews from both critics and audiences, with an average score of 7.5/10 based on over 1500 collected votes on the IMDb.