Things are not always what they seem. That phrase is likely to pop into your head when watching The Activist (Aktyvistas), the new crime drama from Lithuanian film writer-director Romas Zabarauskas. The noir thriller, the third movie in his queer trilogy after The Lawyer (2020) and The Writer (2023), features rising star Robertas Petraitis, known from Lithuania’s 2026 Oscar contender The Southern Chronicles.
The Activist opened theatrically in Lithuania on Sept. 19, debuting in the second spot at the country’s box office. It will have its international premiere at the 29th edition of the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) on Nov. 14.
“A masked intruder murders Deividas (Elvinas Juodkazis), Lithuania’s most influential human rights activist, just as the city of Kaunas prepares for its first LGBTQ+ march,” reads a plot synopsis. “Only hours earlier, Deividas had clashed with his secret lover, Andrius (Petraitis), who is too afraid to come out or publicly support the fragile community. Consumed by grief and guilt, Andrius launches his own covert investigation, soon discovering that Deividas was surrounded by two-faced enemies.”
The cast also features Vaslov Goom as Bernardas, who wants to keep activist group Rainbow going strong; Redita Dominaityte as politician Rolanda Markeviciene; Tekle Baroti as the torn Laima; Karolis Kasperavicius and Arnoldas Augustaitis as neo-Nazis Mykolas and Rytis; and more.
The Hollywood Reporter can exclusively reveal three clips from The Activist that give a first sense of the movie and its characters.
The first clip shows Juodkazis as Deividas and Dominaityte as Rolanda Markeviciene as they face a protest by neo-Nazis and others.
The second clip from The Activist goes inside a planning meeting of right-wing activists looking to disrupt an LGBTQ+ march. In it, viewers meet Petraitis as Andrius, who is in undercover mode; Baroti as Laima; Kasperavicius as Mykolas; and Augustaitis as Rytis.
Things threaten to get out of hand when they start discussing the address of a queer rights group.
Petraitis’ Andrius and Goom as Bernardas star in the final exclusive clip for The Activist. The dangers of Andrius’ own secret investigation loom large in their tense conversation, as do a potential scandal and the question of reputation.
Check out the clip below.
