Lithuanian Director Vytautas Katkus Talks Dramedy ‘The Visitor’

It was supposed to be so simple. 

In Vytautas Katkus’ feature debut “The Visitor,” premiering at Karlovy Vary Film Festival, new father Danielius (Darius Šilėnas) leaves his happy family in Norway and returns to native Lithuania to finally sell his parents’ flat. He’s hoping it won’t take too long and in no time, he’s showing it to potential buyers. But then, instead of hurrying back home… he decides to stay.

“The plan isn’t complicated at all: he wants to go there, sell his apartment and come back. Easy. But then his old town pulls him back in,” says Katkus.

“In a way, Danielius doesn’t have anything to hide, but he can’t really explain what he’s doing there either. He was away for so long – he couldn’t even attend his father’s funeral. Maybe that’s how he grieves? He’s trying to say goodbye to all these places, picking up leftovers of his memories, first emotions, first everythings. It’s really not about this apartment at all – and he knows it.” 

Katkus wrote the script with Marija Kavtaradze – known for Sundance revelation “Slow” – while Marija Razgutė (“Runner”) and Brigita Beniušytė (“My Freedom”) produce for M-Films. Co-produced by Stær Films and Garagefilm Intl., “The Visitor” is sold by Totem Films.

“I’m very happy to work with the people I know, with friends,” he admits. “In Lithuania, we can work on big foreign productions, where everything runs according to very strict rules, but we can also make the kind of cinema that doesn’t have any rules at all. We’re all trying to find space that allows us to do what we really want.”

Just like Danielius, although as time goes by, and with summer in full bloom, his behavior grows increasingly odd. Mirroring his quirky surroundings and characters he meets as he aimlessly wanders around the city. 

“Some of these people made him into who he is now. It’s a very small…