EXEMPLARY BEHAVIOUR 

by Audrius Mickevicius and Nerijus Milerius

• _{Lithuania, Bulgaria, Slovenia / 2019 / 85 min.}
• _Documentary
• _{A co-production: Erafilm (Lithuania), AGITPROP (Bulgaria), Casablanca Film Production (Slovenia)}
• _{Italian distribution: Stefilm International s.r.l. (Italy).}
• _{With the support of: Lithuanian Film Centre, Eurimages, Media, RTV SLO, Bulgarian Film Centre, Sardinian Film Commission, YLE.}

• _{Winner of the Golden Dove International Competition Long Documentary and Animated Film at the 62nd DOK Leipzig (2019)}
• _{Official Selection 60th Thessaloniki International Film Festival}
• _{Winner of the Prize of the Interreligious Jury}
• _{Winner of the FIPRESCI International Critics Prize}
• _{Special Mention at the Documentary Film Festival in Ljubljana (2020)}
• _{Special mention at ZagrebDOX International Competition (2020)}
• _{Official Selection 31st Trieste Film Festival}
• _{Vesna Award for Best Original Music Marjan Sijanec at the Festival of Slovenian Films (2020)}
• _{Main Award Documentary Competition at the 18th Festival Internacional Signos da Noite (2020)}

SYNOPSIS

Having experienced the loss of his murdered brother, director Audrius Mickevičius went to the Lukiškės prison to examine the paradox of “exemplary behaviour”. Mickevičius met Rimas and Rolandas who are sentenced to life but driven by the hope of change. Mickevičius himself experienced the journey from anger to forgiveness, which was interrupted by his terminal disease.

DIRECTORS' NOTE

Audrius Mickevičius
“Death makes us equal. It helps us feel and recognize the real world, which is currently becoming more of a simulation. Our authentic social life is replaced by its representation in the media which often destructively influences our mentality. The human condition, dignity, freedom, social responsibility and tolerance have a value worthy of discussion in this practically anesthetized contemporary world.”

Nerijus Milerius
“The mission of the film is to abandon stereotypes and look at the lives of prisoners sentenced to life without initial prejudices. Looking closely at the lifers, their contradictory individualities begin to emerge. The film Exemplary Behavior is a film not only about crime and the fall, but also about time standing still, thoughts of suicide and the moderate hope of regaining freedom and returning to real life.”

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