Egle Vertelyte

Egle Vertelyte’s work? Oh, it’s got this vibe that sneaks up on you. Take “Managers of Luck” from 2022. At first glance, you’re thinking, just another quirky slice-of-life, but nah—she flips the script. The characters stumble through ridiculous odds, juggling hope and disaster with that sort of dry, sharp wit you only get from someone who’s seen a bit too much. You’ve got these ordinary folks, right, but somehow they’re magnetic, chasing pipe dreams and usually falling flat, but it’s kind of beautiful. Then, “Stebuklas” (2017)—it’s like a bittersweet punch to the gut. Set against the crumbling backdrop of post-Soviet Lithuania, the story zigs and zags between heartbreak and weirdly hopeful moments. There’s this kid, her mom, a patchwork of neighbors, all wrapped up in small-town chaos. It’s messy, it’s real, and you’ll probably laugh and wince in the same breath. Vertelyte doesn’t paint in broad strokes—each detail feels lived-in, a weird little artifact from someone’s actual life. And don’t sleep on “The Southern Chronicles” (2024). Seriously, this one’s different. She’s dipping her toes into new waters with a broader lens, pulling in this oddball cast of characters trying to escape their own shadows. There’s tension, humor, a dash of absurdity—her fingerprints are all over it, but she’s stretching, experimenting. All three films? They’re slices of humanity—awkward, messy, oddly hopeful. Vertelyte knows how to pull you in without ever letting you get too comfortable.