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The 17th annual South East European Film Festival kicked off with Croatian co-author/director Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic’s movie Murina, which jogged my memory of Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1960 L’Avventura. While Antonioni’s traditional received Cannes’ Jury Prize, Murina scored the renowned French film fete’s Caméra d’Or (Golden Camera) accolade for high-quality first function film. If Antonioni’s masterpiece about alienation is essentially set inside the Mediterranean off of the Italian coast and become shot in black and white, Kusijanovic’s directorial debut of a complete-duration manufacturing was lensed in lovely coloration in the Adriatic Sea and at far flung Croatian isles, located in what were part of former Yugoslavia.
Like L’Avventura, Murina additionally offers with estrangement – even though basically within the family sphere, rather than in phrases of sexual relationships among men and women (despite the fact that to be sure, there’s a number of that during Kusijanovic’s film, too), as turned into on the core of Antonioni’s movie. In Murina, Julija (Croatian actress Gracija Filipovic, one of the 10 Berlinale Shooting Stars 2022) is a statuesque 17-ish-12 months vintage island woman who lives at Croatian islet, a “paradise” which encapsulates maximum of the arena she is aware of. As such, the naïve baby of nature is an professional swimmer and snorkeler who, speargun in hand, dives attempting to find murina (Croatian for moray eels) and different sea life.
As with many teenagers, Julija’s lifestyles is complex by using her dad and mom’ interactions with her and each other. When I first noticed Nela, I assumed she become Julija’s sister, not her mom, and indeed, the Serbian-Danish thesp Danica Ćurčić is only 36. Husband/father Ante is portrayed by means of veteran actor Leon Lucev, who changed into born in Croatia in 1970. Ante is domineering to the factor of abusiveness, as he seeks to manipulate his wife and daughter – in particular, Julija.
The family dynamic is rocked while Ante’s vintage pal and employer, Javier (the extraordinary Maori actor Cliff Curtis), visits for the primary time in years. Ante, who rolls out the pink carpet, has a lot greater at stake than simply catching up with an established acquaintance. Although the screenplay with the aid of Kusijanovic and Frank Graziano is at instances indistinct about details, Javier seems to be a wealthy businessman from an unspecified English-speaking us of a, whose visage ornaments the ones magazines that pay homage to moneybags. At stake is a deal Ante craves to consummate: Selling the land he owns on the islet to Javier so the family can flow to an apartment in Croatia’s capital, Zagreb (that is, among different matters, renowned for its legacy of Oscar-winning animation).
Complications happen, and despite the fact that a few plot factors aren’t spelled out, Javier and Nela can be having an affair in the back of Ante’s lower back. Javier discloses to Julija that he as soon as requested her mother to marry him. Meanwhile, Julija struggles to interrupt free of the bossy, bullying traumatic Ante and his iron grip. Clad in tightfitting one-piece bathing fits, Julija confesses to Javier she has never been in love, and residing specifically at a secluded isle, the teenager will also be a virgin who is struggling with her emerging sexuality. At times, she appears to compete together with her mom for Javier’s romantic attention, and yearns for the nicely-to-do businessman to take her away so she will be able to attend Harvard – and escape from her manage freak father.
Murina includes numerous underwater sequences that make the Adriatic-shot film cinematically sparkle. At the start of this evaluation, I stated parallels among an Italian cinematic traditional and I’ll conclude it by way of citing the denouement of a French New Wave masterpiece that Murina also placed me in thoughts of. In François Truffaut’s 1959 The four hundred Blows – arguably the pleasant Western film ever made about unhappy youth – Parisian juvenile delinquent Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud) feels unloved and is despatched away, locked up in a reform faculty close to the ocean. Having by no means seen the Atlantic, he escapes the jail. Encountering the seashore for the first time ever, the elated boy runs on the sand (finishing with that heartbreaking, haunting freeze body). Julija’s swimming and swimming away within the Adriatic Sea, craving to break loose and grow up on her own terms, jogged my memory of the ending of Truffaut’s Palme d’Or-nominated Les Quatre Cents Coups. Where are Antoine Doinel and Julija going?
The angsty Filipovic smolders with discontent, while her father, played by way of Lucev, seethes with slightly contained variety. Having co-written three books on the display screen photograph of Pacific Islanders, I became delighted to peer Cliff Curtis, far from his home of Rotorua at a European isle. The indigenous actor hails from Aotearoa/New Zealand and co-starred inside the 1990s films The Piano, Rapa Nui, Once Were Warriors, Six Days Seven Nights, 2002’s Whale Rider, and many others, as well as TV collection which includes FX’s Fear the Walking Dead. It’s fantastic to look Cliff at the large display all of the way inside the Adriatic, Polynesian tattoos and all, holding his personal in this emotionally taut drama.
The ensemble forged deliver searing performances and are well-directed by the proficient Kusijanovic. This Dubrovnik-born helmer’s impressive inaugural feature marks an august start for a promising movement photo profession. Perhaps her 2d characteristic may be a sequel, revealing exactly wherein the troubled Julija is swimming to…
Prior to the screening Romanian-born philanthropist Stefania Magidson, president of the Blue Heron Foundation, turned into offered the 2022 SEEfest Legacy Humanitarian Award for helping Ukrainian refugees. Before the projector rolled, Magidson become commemorated at the stage of the Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills with the aid of SEEfest board individuals, which include Vera Mijojlic, founding father of this Festival this is an annual highlight on Los Angeles’ cultural scene.
The 2022 South East European Film Festival is taking place April 27-May four and co-offered by using ELMA, the muse for European Languages and Movies in America. This 12 months the Festival is which include films from Ukraine, providing the 2022 Sundance directing award winner Klondike by Maryna Er Gorbach and the U.S. ideal of Blindfold through Taras Dron. Both films consciousness on regular humans seeking to stay their lives beneath the steady danger of recent battle and conflict traumas that just received’t depart. For time table and greater statistics see: https://seefilmla.org/.
Murina is 96-mins, in English and Croatian, with English subtitles and richly merits to be released within the U.S., in particular at the arthouse/overseas movie circuit.
SEEfest Returns: Antoneta Meets Antonioni in Promising Premiere Picture
The 17th annual South East European Film Festival kicked off with Croatian co-writer/director Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic’s film Murina, which jogged my memory of Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1960 L’Avventura. While Antonioni’s conventional gained Cannes’ Jury Prize, Murina scored the famend French movie fete’s Caméra d’Or (Golden Camera) accolade for best first feature movie. If Antonioni’s masterpiece about alienation is basically set inside the Mediterranean off of the Italian coast and turned into shot in black and white, Kusijanovic’s directorial debut of a full-duration manufacturing turned into lensed in beautiful colour inside the Adriatic Sea and at far flung Croatian isles, placed in what were part of former Yugoslavia.
Like L’Avventura, Murina also deals with estrangement – despite the fact that in most cases in the family sphere, instead of in terms of sexual relationships among ladies and men (even though to be sure, there’s some of that during Kusijanovic’s movie, too), as turned into on the center of Antonioni’s film. In Murina, Julija (Croatian actress Gracija Filipovic, one of the 10 Berlinale Shooting Stars 2022) is a statuesque 17-ish-year vintage island lady who lives at Croatian islet, a “paradise” which encapsulates most of the arena she knows. As such, the naïve baby of nature is an professional swimmer and snorkeler who, speargun in hand, dives hunting for murina (Croatian for moray eels) and different sea existence.
As with many youth, Julija’s existence is complex via her dad and mom’ interactions along with her and each other. When I first saw Nela, I assumed she become Julija’s sister, now not her mother, and certainly, the Serbian-Danish thesp Danica Ćurčić is most effective 36. Husband/father Ante is portrayed by way of veteran actor Leon Lucev, who was born in Croatia in 1970. Ante is domineering to the point of abusiveness, as he seeks to govern his wife and daughter – specifically, Julija.
