Those triggered by depictions of alcohol abuse, viewers seeking traditional three-act structure, or anyone expecting a comedy despite the title’s superficial similarity to The Hangover franchise. Pagiras lingers. Days after watching, you may find yourself thinking about Romas—not with pity, but with a quiet, uncomfortable recognition. And that is exactly what Ignas Miškinis intended.
Director: Ignas Miškinis Year of Release: 2020 Genre: Psychological Drama / Social Realism Country: Lithuania 1. Synopsis (Non-Spoiler) Pagiras follows a single, pivotal night in the life of a middle-aged Lithuanian man, Romas (played by Vytaras Šustauskas). After a seemingly ordinary social gathering with old friends—filled with heavy drinking, nostalgic boasting, and suppressed resentments—Romas wakes up the next morning in a strange apartment with no memory of the past twelve hours. The film unfolds in two parallel timelines: the chaotic, increasingly absurd night of drinking, and the hazy, guilt-ridden morning after as Romas pieces together what happened. What begins as a familiar tale of post-Soviet binge drinking slowly transforms into a quiet horror film about memory, shame, and the erosion of self. 2. Themes and Analysis The Hangover as a Metaphor for National Amnesia Unlike Western "hangover comedies," Pagiras treats the blackout not as a joke but as a symptom. Director Ignas Miškinis uses Romas’s fractured memory to mirror Lithuania’s own struggle with its recent past—the Soviet occupation, the chaotic 1990s, and the loss of identity in modern Europe. The missing hours represent everything a generation has chosen to forget: violence, betrayal, and complicity. Toxic Masculinity and Loneliness Romas and his friends are men in their 40s and 50s who still communicate only through alcohol. The film brutally exposes how male friendship in provincial Lithuania often substitutes vulnerability with vodka. A harrowing scene where Romas tries to hug his best friend, only to be shoved away, encapsulates the film’s thesis: these men are drowning, but they refuse to admit they are in water. The Banality of Ruin There are no car chases, no fistfights (well, one ugly one), no dramatic overdoses. Instead, the horror lies in small degradations: a broken kitchen chair, a text message to an ex-wife that should never have been sent, a stain on a borrowed sofa. Pagiras argues that the real damage of alcoholism is not spectacular—it’s the slow, quiet unmaking of a human being. 3. Technical Execution Cinematography (Simonas Glinskis): The film employs two distinct visual languages. The night scenes are shot with shaky, handheld cameras, over-saturated with sickly neon greens and yellows from cheap bar lights. The morning-after scenes are static, desaturated, almost clinical—like a crime scene photographer documenting a domestic disaster. The transition between them is jarring by design. pagiras filma
Pagiras is not an easy watch. It is slow, sad, and deliberately uncomfortable. But it is also brave, technically masterful, and emotionally true. It will not make you want to have a drink with friends—it might make you want to call an old friend and apologize for something you don’t quite remember. Those triggered by depictions of alcohol abuse, viewers
Fans of slow-burn European realism (the Dardenne brothers, Cristi Puiu), anyone interested in post-Soviet identity, and viewers who believe that cinema should sometimes be a diagnostic tool rather than an escape. And that is exactly what Ignas Miškinis intended
Pagiras is the anti- Another Round . Where Vinterberg finds dance and joy, Miškinis finds a man vomiting into a sink and not remembering why. Upon release, Pagiras divided Lithuanian critics. Some called it "poverty porn" and accused it of reinforcing stereotypes about Baltic drinking. Others hailed it as the most honest Lithuanian film since The Corridor (1995). The debate itself is revealing: the film hit a nerve. Alcohol consumption in Lithuania has been among the highest in the EU, and Pagiras refuses the usual excuses (genetic predisposition, cold climate, historical trauma) while also refusing easy solutions. It simply holds up a mirror, and many looked away. 8. Final Verdict Rating: 8/10 (4/5 stars)
Remarkable. During Romas’s blackout, dialogue becomes muffled, then reversed, then replaced by a low-frequency hum that mimics a panic attack. The silence of 6 AM—the sound of a refrigerator humming, a floorboard creaking—is more terrifying than any jump scare.