Murina

Original title: Murina
Genre: Drama
Director: Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović
Country: Croatia, Brazil, USA, Slovenia
Year of production: 2021
Czas: 95 min

Awards and nominations:
2022 Gotham Independent Film Award: Breakthrough Performer Gracija Filipovic
2021 Cannes Film Festival: Golden Camera, Best Debut
2021 Grand Prix Cin East: Best Feature Film
2021 Hamptons International Film Festival: Golden Starfish Award, Directing

Dreams die in paradise. This sentence could become a motto for 16-year-old Julija (played by Gracija Filipović). The girl lives with her parents on a Croatian island but despite the sun and swimming in the sea every day, there’s something bothering her. A despotic father (Leon Lučev) and a mother (Danica Ćurčić) who gave up on her life after becoming the queen of the island prepare frantically for an old friend’s visit. Javier (Cliff Curtis) may turn out to be their chance for a new life. His arrival generates a lot of tensions and catalyses changes and rebellion in the adolescent girl.
In this emotional quadrangle the daughter begins to compete with her mother for favours of someone from a different world and tries to free herself from the suffocating control of her father. Water in which most of the action takes place is a metaphor for shaking off patriarchal shackles. It also reflects the main character’s emotional states. Psychologically nuanced acting and Héléne Louvart’s brilliant cinematography are the film’s strong suits. Louvart is known for collaborating with Wim Wenders. The film’s co-producer is Martin Scorsese. Engaging and enchanting “Murina” is an emotional deep dive.
 
Author: Sabina Zygmanowska

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Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović – a Croatian director who has been living in New York for 13 years. “Murina” is her feature debut which screened at multiple international festivals including Cannes where it won the prestigious Golden Camera.