BFI Flare Favourite Romas Zabarauskas’ The Lawyer Getting UK Release

Lithuanian LGBTQ+ activist Romas Zabarauskas‘ feature film The Lawyer (Advokatas, 2020)is getting a UK and Irish release thanks to OutTV.

The film is a tender and complex love story between a Lithuanian lawyer and a bisexual Syrian refugee dealing with themes of self-isolation, loneliness, and finding solace in virtual relationships. Following its world debut at London’s BFI Flare Film Festival and a successful international film festival run in 2020.

Our writer Georgia May watched the film at BFI Flare. Stating the film is “Reaching for a higher-level of independent filmmaking, Zabarauskas makes a fine stand against prejudicial boundaries, tackling complex issues with confidence and simplicity“.

Here’s the film’s Trailer from last years 2020 BFI Flare…

Related: BFI Flare Film Festival Review – The Lawyer (2020)

In the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, time is rushing by for Marius, a corporate lawyer. When he is not busy trying to restrain his clients, he spends his time throwing dinner parties and having nighttime adventures with young men. When his father dies, Marius is confronted with mortality and he feels a deep emptiness inside. He starts to wonder whether life should be more than just having superficial conversations and meaningless one-night stands. Marius begins to search for affection online and gets to know the hot sex-cam worker Ali. Marius wants to learn more about the man in front of the camera and persuades him to give him his phone number. The two get closer and closer and the desire to be together grows steadily. But there is a catch. Ali is a Syrian refugee stuck in a Serbian refugee camp. And the prospects of resettling in another country are non-existent. Will their relationship survive?

The film stars Eimutis Kvoščiauskas, Dogaç Yildiz, Darya Ekamasova , Aistė Diržiūtė.

The Lawyer will be released on VOD in the UK from 26th February on Apple TV (iTunes) as well as Pantaflix via OUTtv. The film is also released in Ireland, The Netherlands, Spain, Israel, Sweden, , Austria and Switzerland the same day on VOD.