Abstract
<jats:p> Recent interest in 1960s-70s Baltic poetic documentary often labels the Lithuanian strand ”ethnographic.” This article re-examines this label through Robertas Verba’s <jats:italic>Last Summer of a Homestead</jats:italic> (1971). It argues Verba’s ”ethnographic moment” is not merely aesthetic formalism or nostalgia, but a potent critique of Soviet modernization, focusing on the trauma of forced resettlement from rural homesteads ( <jats:italic>vienkiemiai</jats:italic> ). Connecting Verba’s work to the <jats:italic>kraštotyra</jats:italic> (local history) movement, the analysis contrasts his film with a contemporary Soviet propaganda documentary covering the same event. This comparison highlights Verba’s use of modernist aesthetics (tableau, subjective viewpoints, extended duration) to subvert official narratives of progress, thus showcasing the deep socio-political engagement within his poetic documentary style. </jats:p>