In 1948 the people of Lithuania, who did not support the occupying Soviet army and regime, were still hoping for foreign help in regaining their independence. During the ensuing economic, political and social repression, nineteen-year-old Untė tries to understand both himself and what is going on around him. Human relationships are complex – in his household as well as in the hideout of the resistance partisans in the nearby spruce forest. In the past, the boy’s stepfather once paid too high of a price for the wealth that he had longed for, and now he doesn’t want Untė to similarly bring about his own demise by denying the truth, telling the youth: ‘When it gets hard, suffer, but don’t look for refuge in lies.’

The film is internationally renowned director Šarūnas Bartas’ impassioned look at a period of history when guerrilla units staged armed resistance to the Soviet regime, and anyone who didn’t align with one of the warring parties was seen as belonging to the other. Each person fought for what they believed in. Is it worth sacrificing your life for the sake of your convictions and the freedom of your country? In the Dusk has been included in the official competition programme of this year’s Cannes Film Festival.