Albinas Kirkilas’ debut mini series “The CALL” will involve in a detective calling to pick up the story of your life

Albinas Kirkilas, a film director from Lithuania, known for directing the world’s first bachata film “Sensual”, presents his debut mini series “The CALL” that is a big dream come true for him. The series filmed in sunny Barcelona is mostly driven by one actress – Monika Chasi – Lithuanian actress and famous gymnastics athlete and medalist.

“The CALL” will encourage the viewer to assess which of his dreams can turn into real goals and which are just an illusion”, says director Albinas Kirkilas and invites to step into the surreal world, where dreams become reality and reality becomes a dream.

Blind pursuit of dreams and fame

“We tend to chase popularity. Many people dream of waking up famous one morning. We all have many desires, but we don’t always know enough about them to understand whether they can turn into our goals or remain just dreams.

As in a relationship with another person – until we don’t know him, we fill the vacuum of the unknown with what we want, but in most cases it’s just an illusion. “The CALL” series is diving into these topics. I believe that everyone will find a part of themselves in the main character of Purple Stay”, says director Albinas Kirkilas.

Extraordinary production

This unique project stands out for several reasons. What sets it apart is its commitment to several principles of Dogma 99, an approach pioneered by renowned director Lars von Trier. This approach emphasizes authenticity and minimalism, focusing on creating realistic situations for actors and working with natural light and locations that do not require production design.

“Although it is difficult to imagine serial production without a large crew consisting of dozens of professionals, in this case the series team was deliberately limited to only a few dedicated individuals. This decision allowed us to maintain an intimate, hands-on approach to filmmaking and have maximum flexibility, because since there were no pre-scripted dialogues, it was clear how the scene should begin and how it should end”, says director Albinas Kirkilas.

The enormous flexibility allowed the small crew to quickly rewrite the script to suit the location and the actress, demonstrating a passion for storytelling without the need for elaborate sets or extensive production design. Despite the challenges of such a minimalist approach, “The CALL” team is a testament to the power of storytelling and the belief that sometimes less is more.

A surreal adventure in sunny Barcelona

Combining the genres of detective, drama and comedy, the series “The CALL” takes us to the vibrant, colorful and breathtaking landscapes of the sun-kissed city of Barcelona where a Lithuanian dreamer, introducing herself as Purple Stay, arrives to pursue an acting career.

Despite having no formal training as an actress, she devotes herself to the art of acting, reading books on acting and practicing on the streets, while Flamenco music composed by Álvaro Rodríguez involves the viewer into poetic detective.

The surreal adventure and moral dilemma begins when Purple Stay buys the vintage phone. Soon it rings and a mysterious director on the phone, in exchange for revealing the secrets of acting, asks her to carry out crazy tasks that exceed the limits of her imagination and talent.

“Purple Stay shows us that experience is our primary source of learning. She teaches us how to turn words into actions. There is one quote that describes her: ‘Cleverness conquers the world, but naivety touches the soul.’ Purple Stay wishes everyone to follow their hearts, but also take the brain together”, says main actress Monika Chasi.

Played by one actress – well-known Lithuanian athlete

The main actress Monika Chasi is a well-known Lithuanian artistic gymnastics athlete, champion and medalist. She also trained in ballet and modern dance, which perfectly complements the actress’ unique movements and creates an uplifting and lively atmosphere in every scene of the series.

“The CALL” is mostly driven by one actress – Monika Chasi. I believe for most people it’s impossible to imagine how hard it is to act, when in most cases there is nothing to lean on. All the dialogues are actually well-acted monologues in this case”, says director Albinas Kirkilas.

“I’m used to performing alone since the past in professional rhythmic gymnastics, but this time it was different. I did not play my character, I lived as my character. When you film in almost every scene, I did get a chance to experience a pretty zoomed life of Purple Stay. We used a lot of the character’s physicalities – from the way Purple Stay walks to the way she holds her phone. Because of the unusual format of the series – the production part was art-driven, new suggestions and some improvisation was welcomed. I found it creative! Before every action together with the director, we envisioned different ways how we could achieve the best result for that specific scene. Being the main actress for me was about responsibility, commitment and ready to make an extra mile approach”, Monika Chasi says.

True story

The main character Purple Stay and the main actress Monika Chasi have the same professional goal – to become an international actress. Both go abroad to pursue an acting career.

All the stories of director A. Kirkilas are not fictional, but real, and “The CALL” is no exception. When creating films, he usually relies on personal experiences, or, as he likes to say, stories “stolen” from life.

“Actually, one day before shooting “The CALL” I found out that one actor will probably skip this project. I believe the only thing that made him change his mind is finding out that the story we are shooting is real”, says Albinas Kirkilas.

Seeks to inspire change

The most common themes of Albinas Kirkilas films are self-realization and the pursuit of goals. He aims to inspire viewers to take an action – whether it’s rethinking their dreams or starting to dance.

“With my stories, I want to inspire people to act. I love to challenge my audience to reassess their values, goals and dreams. I believe that everyone will find a part of themselves in the character of Purple Stay”, says Albinas Kirkilas.

The miniseries “The CALL” is available on AMAZON PRIME VIDEO and on the personal YouTube channel of Albinas Kirkilas: https://www.youtube.com/@AlbinasKirkilas.