Renovation

Ilona, who is about to turn 30, has just moved into an apartment with her boyfriend in a typical Eastern European block of flats. The couple seems happy leading a relatively peaceful life, filled with work and occasional get-togethers with friends. Everything changes when a loud and disruptive renovation of their building begins, turning their everyday routine upside down and putting their relationship to the test. Meanwhile, Ilona gets to know Oleg, a Ukrainian construction worker, and this new friendship makes her question her life choices. Lithuanian director Gabrielė Urbonaitė skilfully and with a dose of irony depicts Millennial angst, showing how her generation gets caught up in the promise of a better, Western life while still heavily shaped by the post-Soviet past. In her debut feature, she paints an intimate generational portrait with references to the deeply complicated political climate of today, bringing forth a sense of being lost and confused typical of contemporary thirty-somethings.