Utterly Alone (2004)★ 7.5/10

LT · 90 min · February 20, 2004

• Drama
• History

Directed by: Jonas Vaitkus

Written by: Alvydas Bausys, Pranas Morkus, Jonas Vaitkus

Jonas Vaitkus's patriotic war film paints a poignant portrait of Lithuania's ten-year struggle against Soviet occupation and casts new light on folk hero Juozas Luksa-Daumantas, the legendary partisan who sought to bring Lithuania's plight to the West. Set in 1950, Utterly Alone powerfully depicts the bloody and brutal treatment meted out by Soviet Russia, aided by Lithuanian collaborators, as it systematically hunts down and kills resistance fighters. Reminiscent of the mood of Schindler's List, it pays tribute to the courage and fortitude of Daumantas and his fellow fighters as they battle valiantly against the might of Stalin's empire. Shot in atmospheric black-and-white, Utterly Alone has a documentary feel that only serves to bolster its starkness and the hopelessness of the partisans' cause. Utterly Alone is preceded by a short explanatory documentary.