Gracija Filipovic, Danica Curcic, Cliff Curtis, Leon Lucev
Winner of the Camera d’Or at Cannes 2021, ‘sunshine noir’ Murina is the assured feature debut of acclaimed shorts writer-director Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović (Into the Blue), executive produced by Martin Scorsese.
On a bright, beautiful Croatian island, tensions rise between restless teenager Julija (Gracija Filipović) and her oppressive father Ante (Leon Lučev) when an old family friend (Cliff Curtis) arrives at their home. While Ante attempts to broker a life-changing deal, their tranquil yet isolated existence leaves Julija wanting more from this influential visitor, who offers a taste of liberation throughout a weekend that becomes devoted to desire and violence.
Sparkling but sinister, Murina is a brooding coming-of-age story with a difference, laced with a symbolism that shows how the azure waters of the Adriatic – stunningly depicted by cinematographer Hélène Louvart – are both Julija’s liberation and her prison. A commanding study of toxic masculinity, patriarchy and of a young woman whose transformation from girl to woman means deciding whether she will sink or swim.
“Currents of rebellion, jealousy and desire roil in the glittering waters of Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović’s superb Camera d’Or-winning debut” Variety