To the world, journalist Vitalius and choir tenor Albinas present themselves as father and son, though they have been lovers for more than 50 years. They met in Soviet Lithuania, at a time when same-sex relationships were not only taboo but a criminal offense. For decades they lived in plain sight, denied recognition by both family and society. Is reconciliation and acceptance within the family still possible?
Today, Lithuania is still one of six countries in Europe that offers no legal recognition of queer couple partnership. Yet a recent Constitutional Court decision has opened a narrow path: same-sex partnerships can be recognized through the courts. After decades of hiding, Vitalius now dares to demand that the love of his life would be legally acknowledged.
But as he fights for justice, Albinas slips further into illness. Living with dementia and near blindness, he grows weaker each day, while Vitalius holds on — caught between love’s endurance and the fear of a final goodbye.
Participant: Jūratė Samulionytė