User reviews

WE WILL SING is an ambitious low budget Lithuanian independent film which depicts the defense of the Lithuanian people for independence against the Soviet troops in 1991. Focusing on a group of people including students,parents, an elderly couple and a priest, they travel to the Television Tower in Vilnius and join other protesters against the Soviet troops who are trying to take control of the communications(under the orders of Gorbachev). The film skillfully combines the personal stories of these individuals with the crowd of unarmed singing protesters against the tanks and troops. There is clever use of authentic archive footage interwoven into the narrative and with the powerful use of music and song, the film builds to a moving and emotional climax. All the performances of this ensemble cast are excellent, and considering the restricted budget, director Robert Mullan's staging of the conflict, which resulted in 14 deaths and countless wounded,is impressively mounted. WE WILL SING was given it's UK premiere at the 24th Chichester Internation Film Festival in August, and it won the Audience Award for Best Low Budget Independent Film

Before I say anything about the movie, I would like to mention that I am Lithuanian. As almost any other Lithuanian I know the story of events that happened after Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania was signed on March 11, 1990.

The movie began quite good. I really liked how it was filmed (the picture, the colors, the lightning) from beginning to the end. I also liked the actors, because they were not some famous actors that act in every TV series made in Lithuania.

But that's all. That's all I liked. The movie didn't show how horrible January Events actually were. In the movie it just looked like Soviet military units randomly decided to shoot some peaceful protesters and shortly after that they left. Wait what? It wasn't like that, the movie didn't explain enough the situation, the politics, the purpose of each side. From January 11 to January 13 every Lithuanian was either in Vilnius near the parliament and the TV tower OR ear-touching the radio listening what is happening there before the broadcasting was terminated. The movie lacked information, that's why it didn't deliver the message. The situation in Lithuania at that time was much worse than it was shown in this movie.

I only rate this movie 4/10 because of the camera work. The storytelling was terrible.

Recipe for a disaster: Actors were invited from a local drama theater, script is a cheap aspiration of a "good movie" and the financing from the EU (no revenues needed, I won't elaborate). As a Lithuanian, I'm so sad that this still happening 25 years after our fight for our independence.

Btw, we have so many active movie professionals today, somehow the result is getting more and more pity. Cinema is a great power and is respected from earliest production efforts. This movie lost aim and I'm so sad that the next effort probably will take place after 20 y. At that time, I was a kid standing/running there....