A Provocative, Flawed Tale of Youthful Rebellion in Vilnius
Directed and written by Saulius Drunga, Anarchija Žirmūnuose (Anarchy in Zirmunai) arrived on the international festival circuit following significant buzz—having won the Media Talent New Award at Cannes for its screenplay prior to production. The Lithuanian feature offers an intriguing, stylized portrait of post-Soviet urban youth, identity exploration, and the blurry boundary between genuine political philosophy and teenage rebellion.
📖 The Plot: Coming of Age in the Concrete Jungle
The film follows Vilė (Toma Vaškevičiūtė), a naive, small-town girl who moves to Vilnius to study at the pedagogical university. Looking for an affordable place to stay, she lands in Žirmūnai—a sprawling, late-Soviet era residential district dominated by grey high-rises.
There, Vilė rents a room from Sandra (Severija Janušauskaitė), a charismatic, fiercely independent girl who sports a punk aesthetic and lives by an uncompromising "anarchist" worldview. Captivated by Sandra’s confidence, Vilė lets herself be drawn into her orbit, shedding her provincial shyness. However, as Vilė encounters members of the city's actual underground punk scene, she begins to realize that Sandra's version of "anarchy" might have far less to do with political liberation and far more to do with personal alienation, manipulation, and dark impulse.
Highlights & Limitations
What Works
Breakout Performance by Severija Janušauskaitė: Janušauskaitė steals the screen as Sandra. She injects the character with an unpredictable, magnetic edge that keeps the viewer guessing where her morality lies.
Sense of Atmosphere & Setting: Cinematographer Feliksas Abrukauskas turns the brutalist, geometric architecture of the Žirmūnai district into a compelling character itself—symbolizing both Soviet-era conformity and the forgotten spaces where youth subcultures sprout.
Sharp Premise: The core concept—contrasting genuine anarchist ideology with a teenager's superficial, aesthetic understanding of rebellion—is a clever framing device for a coming-of-age story.
Where It Stumbles
Uneven Script & Pacing: Despite its Cannes script award, the narrative occasionally drags and relies on contrived dialogue to push its themes forward rather than natural character development.
Identity Crisis: The film fluctuates between satire, romantic coming-of-age drama, and gritty urban thriller without fully committing to a single tone, leaving some plot threads feeling undercooked.
🍿 Verdict
Anarchija Žirmūnuose is a visually striking time capsule of 2010s Baltic indie cinema. While its narrative doesn't always live up to its ambitious premise, its strong performances and evocative setting make it an intriguing watch for fans of Eastern European coming-of-age films.
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟 (3/5)
