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Hot Chocolate

A lonely widower spies on his new neighbors, judging their noisy life, until he discovers their daughter is in danger. Through small acts of care, he finds connection, responsibility, and a chance to protect a child when no one else will.

  • Tomas Savickas
    Director
  • Tomas Savickas
    Writer
  • Maciej Ślesicki
    Producer
    Oscar nominated: 'Our Curse' & "The Dress'
  • Warsaw Film School
    Producer
  • Gaudrė Kisieliūtė
    Key Cast
  • Sławomir Głazek
    Key Cast
  • Jotvilė Kisieliūtė
    Cinematography
  • Oliwia Rozenkiewicz
    Editing
  • Jan Wójcik
    Sound
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 8 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 28, 2026
  • Country of Origin:
    Lithuania, Poland
  • Country of Filming:
    Poland
  • Language:
    Polish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2,39:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Warsaw Film School
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Tomas Savickas

Tomas Savickas is a Lithuanian filmmaker from Kaunas, studying "Film, TV show, and Video game directing" at Warsaw Film School. His work focuses on character driven drama, exploring family, loneliness, and human connection. "Hot Chocolate" is his first short film, showing his interest in intimate, realistic stories told through small everyday moments.

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Director Statement

This film comes from a quiet fear I have about growing old alone and becoming closed off from the world. Richard starts as a man who hides behind rules, routines, and anger. He believes order will protect him from pain, but in reality it only keeps him isolated. The garden is his safe place, built from love and loss, and it reflects his inner state. Controlled, silent, untouched.

Alicja enters his life as a disturbance, not as hope. Their relationship is not soft or easy. It grows slowly, through work, silence, and small gestures. I wanted their bond to feel earned, not sentimental. Both characters are hurt in different ways, and neither knows how to ask for help.

The film is about responsibility. About the moment when watching is no longer enough. Richard does not save Alicja because he is kind, but because he finally understands that silence is also violence. By the end, he loses his peace, but regains his humanity. The story is small, grounded, and realistic, because these stories happen everywhere, often behind clean fences and quiet houses.