As the film begins, contemporary dance instructor Elena (Greta Grineviciute) is about to begin teaching a class for Deaf children when she meets Dovydas (Kestutis Cicenas), there to serve as a sign language interpreter between her and her students. From the moment they meet, there is an undeniable spark between the two. During the first 20 minutes, we watch as these two (who are in positions to use their bodies as a form of communication) get to know each other and it becomes clear that they really like each other. (The moment when a fallen Elena first realizes that he is alone translating at a future wedding he mentions to her is especially sweet.)
Finally, they reach the point in the story where we expect them to go to bed together. It is at this point that Dovydas drops a bombshell – he is, in fact, asexual.
At first, Elena gets the impression that he's just not attracted to her—a big deal since the film establishes her as someone with a joyfully sensual vibe (partially explained by a visit to her mom, a woman too cold for her made Mary Tyler Moore's character in “Ordinary People” seem warm and fuzzy by comparison). But it is exactly BECAUSE he's genuinely interested in her that he makes this admission in the first place, rather than stringing her along or breaking things off right away. Given the strength of their bond, they try to make things work by stepping out of their respective emotional comfort zones into a middle ground between her more traditional sexual relationship and the simple friendships he's used to.
If this premise had gone through the typical Hollywood studio machine, it probably would have come across as more of a comedy about Elena trying to get Dovydas into bed, and perhaps imply that his asexuality was simply a case of not finding of the right person. Instead, Kavtaradze takes the concept seriously, observing these two as they negotiate uncharted waters together. We see the good times (when they seem so perfectly in sync that the very notion of sex seems like an afterthought) and the bad (when it's clearly never going to happen).
