Uzupis means “across the river”. Uzupis is an old district of Vilnius – and an “independent republic” at that. Most of the inhabitants filmed by their neighbour and “president” Romas Lileikis have lived here for decades. Some of the houses seem dilapidated, and not all have running water. In the backyards, children play and cats doze in the sun. Uzupis, the haunt of artists and bohemians, is often dubbed the Montmartre of Vilnius. Sasha is working as a photographers’ model for one of them. The camera follows him through the streets. Shot in black and white, this film conjures up a romantic idyll. But that idyll is threatened. Refurbishment, redevelopment and demolition loom. Already, there are signs of decay and neo-Nazi graffiti. “Sasha” is a film whose exquisite camerawork requires no further explanation beyond the statement made by one local: “What can I say? It’s just the way it is. I am what I am."