About the film
- Directed by
- Kristina Buožytė, Bruno Samper
- Released
- August 17, 2022
- US theatrical
- September 30, 2022
- Certification
- MA 15+
- Country
- Belgium, France, Lithuania
- Starring
- Raffiella Chapman, Eddie Marsan, Rosy McEwen, Richard Brake, Edmund Dehn
More credits
- Language
- English
- Origin
- BE, FR, LT
- Studios
- Rumble Fish Productions, Natrix Natrix, 10.80 Films, ev.l prod
- Written by
- Kristina Buožytė, Bruno Samper, Brian Clark
- Produced by
- Daiva Varnaitė-Jovaišienė, Asta Liukaitytė, Alexis Perrin, Mike Shema, Vitalijus Žukas, Kristina Buožytė
- Cinematography
- Feliksas Abrukauskas
- Music
- Dan Levy
- Also starring
- Melanie Gaydos, Markas Eimontas, Matijus Adomavičius, Markas Sagaitis, Marijus Demiskis
- Box office
- $889,529
They spent ten years pitching English-language sci-fi projects. Then they went home to Lithuania and made one of the most fully realized dystopian worlds in recent cinema. It cost €5 million - less than most streaming productions - and looks like nothing that costs more.
Kristina Buožytė and Bruno Samper call VESPER (2022) a fairy tale with a sci-fi framework - it has the logic of myth rather than mechanics.
The film is set in "the new dark ages" - after humanity tried to fix ecological collapse by weaponizing biotechnology and the organisms escaped into the wild. Plants shoot toxins. Night is lethal. Food is rationed by oligarchs.
Vesper is 13, living in a forest house with her paralyzed father, Darius, who communicates through a floating drone head. When the drone breaks, we follow her journey through a world that looks like Bosch filtered through Giger.
Vesper was shot entirely on location in the forests around Vilnius with practical effects and only sparing CG enhancements, no green screens. Cinematographer Feliksas Abrukauskas drew inspiration from Vermeer and Rembrandt for the lighting - a classical approach to dystopia where dark greens and browns encroach on every frame.
Critics compared it to Tarkovsky and Annihilation, but Vesper is its own thing: a film about refusal to be a victim, about standing rooted despite everything.
How to see Vesper (2022)
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United States
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Free
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Source: JustWatch
Physical media
More editions
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Big fan of this one. Ever seen it Jon Buckley Michael Hanlein ?
I recall watching few years ago
I absolutely love this movie. Visually, it’s stunning with some great ideas at work. Great actors and story. 👍👍
“Standing rooted despite everything.” My last name’s Birch like a tree that’s what I do. Yea anywhere but Hollywood is right I can’t believe either used to wanna hang out with those people. I know better now 💪🐗
Also loved it. Something really unique
It was good. They need to make more
The gooiest movie ever and that’s a compliment
Excellent film
Wonderful film. Grabbed the steel book.
One of the most brilliant movies I have ever seen. And no, not like Annihilation. It was original and gorgeous and ugly. I love this film so much.
Really liked this movie!
It went precisely nowhere…. Great concepts but shite storyline