Toxic

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Competition 1,2

In program

24.10.2024 / 19:45
Teatr
Kup bilet

Director: Saulė Bliuvaitė
Script: Saulė Bliuvaitė
Cinematography: Vytautas Katkus
Editing: Ignė Narbutaitė
Music: Gediminas Jakubka
Producer: Giedrė Burokaitė
Cast: Ieva Rupeikaitė, Vesta Matulytė,
Giedrius Savickas, Vilma Raubaitė, Eglė Gabrėnaitė

Lithuania 2024
99′

polish and english subtitles

Abandoned by her mother, 13-year-old Maria is forced to live with her grandmother in a bleak industrial town. During a violent clash on the street, Maria meets Kristina, a girl of the same age who is striving to become a fashion model. Trying to get closer to her, Maria enrolls in a mysterious modeling school, where the girls are preparing for the biggest casting event in the region. Her ambiguous relationship with Kristina and the intense, cult-like environment of the modeling school force Maria on a quest to discover her own identity.

The performances from Vesta Matulytė and Ieva Rupeikaitė are what really make the film special, and both actresses should have bright futures ahead of them based on their work here.

Abby Laing, icsfilm.org

A raw and uncompromising look at the pressures girls face in places with few prospects but plenty of access to the internet..

Amber Wilkinson, Screen Daily

The mean girls of your average Hollywood teen movie wouldn’t last a morning in the ruthless adolescent playground of Toxic.

Guy Lodge, Variety

Equally eye-popping is the film’s poetic way of capturing the attempts to dream in an era meant for dreaming, but in a place devoid of departure points.

Mariana Hristova, Cineuropa

Locarno
2024

Second Young
Jury Award

Locarno
2024

Nagroda Jury
Ekumenicznego

Locarno
2024

Swatch First
Feature Award

Locarno
2024

Pardo d’Oro