Murina
classified 15 SPlease note: This was screened in April 2022
Croatian director Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic’s debut feature film explores the resulting family tensions caused by the arrival of an unexpected visitor.
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 combines 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 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.