Murina

That will remind you that the hvratskanian archipelagos is one of the most prescious and beautiful places on earth, warm water clear seas, and finally a film with an actor that really knows how to swim (im a swimfan you know), good looking she is too to say the least, a film about a small family that is on the brink of devastation, a dominant and commanding kinda psychopath, seaworthy but landfast captain of the sea, a fragile daughter whos adolescence and urge to break free is imminent, and where the mother stands helpless inbetween them both. When a long lost friend visits everything turns cataclysmic..-.

Its an european art movie that will be praised by most critics, even by the grumpy old man, who dove a lot in this area when a young boy, still feeling the itching spikes of the black sea urchins of paradise. A film to watch for natural beauty, both human and scenic, great filmography and a sore and at times agonizing and asphyxiating on the issues of family relations.

Outstanding and well directed story which unfortunately didn't totally convince me due to some setting/plot and acting weakness. I won't spoil the storyline/script problems I found (I assume the english subbing was faithful): they are not really important but prevented me to fully enjoy the film.

G. Filipovic, the absolute protagonist - though a talented mediterranean beauty and a pleasure to watch (the writer/director agrees and indulges in a lot of revealing swimsuit shots) - doesn't always show a proper range. In some instances either fails to convince (not conveying the dramatic tension required in some scenes) or gets out of character (turning from silly girl to wise housewife to plotting homewrecker and back with too much ease) - proving that eyes actually lie.

Overall though, a very good drama about a family living in a secluded villa on the croatian coastline, and inexorably disintegrating when an affluent friend considers investing in the land.

As an insignificant side note: I'd have likely never watched this movie if it hadn't won the Cannes' "camera d'or" prize over "Rien a foutre" which recently made a great impression on me. Another drama about a young woman. Another film that deserves to be watched - though IMO not in the same category.

A lovely film that transports you back to summer , , also a well performed and excellently written and directed film.

Essentially, it tells the story of a young woman and her domineering father on vacation in Croatia, swimming, snorkelling and seemingly following his expectations for her future, that is until a an old friend of the family comes along and sees how she is being stifled by her own father, so tries to help her break out and find her own potential. The results are tense and dramatically powerful but ring true as an honest coming of age tale. It's all wonderfully done and with a real sense of location, summer, youth and beauty. Well worth a watch.

Writer/Director Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic's debut feature is all it could be from a director who also used to dive in the film's idyllic Croatian coast setting.

This films builds on the director's underwater camera work in her enjoyable short Into the Blue (2017), and in acting and screen presence of actress Gracija Filipovic. This feature was in fact written with this teenage actor/non-actor in mind after the short. Gracia was 12 yr old then and showed promise and shines 4 years later in this character study.

The story has strong writing as it tackles teenage rebellion, family and relationship dynamics with evolving dreams of love, sexuality, freedom and purpose.

The father, mother and daughter relationships are complicated in this small village and when a wealthy, well-travelled long-time friend comes to spend some time with the family, much is revealed of the desires and dissatisfactions of all three family members.

The directing, cinematography and editing of this evolving drama are so strong that every shot of the 96 min movie is a pleasure. The acting is nuanced and elevated from the four leads. The underwater shots are beautiful and tell the story with images, sounds and occasional music. The first and final long shots of the movie tell a tight story visually that induce emotions viscerally and intellectually.

It is no surprise that the film won Camera d'Or at Cannes and over 20 other awards in 65 film festival worldwide.

Looking forward to Antoneta's next film which centers on a mother and daughter relationship and perhaps also catching some of her previous shorts, including If We Must Die (2016).

In short, this is a melancholic, beautiful drama with stunning cinematography and deft directing. A simple story with substance. Highly recommended.

I enjoyed this film. The picture and scenery looked stunning. The acting was pretty good overall.

But at the same time, I felt this film lacked proper character development, given its subject. The story is about a controlling father and his relationship with his daughter and our main hero Julija. But here is the thing - Julija is shown as very much her own person right from the start. She has a no-nonsense attitude and is happy to tell-off anyone (including her father) whenever she feels like it. If anything, at times it felt like her mother was actually the controlling parent with her constant remarks ("please wear this dress", "please don't speak" and so on).

Since Julija was in command from the start, the whole climax of the film felt rather pointless, or at least disengaging. We already knew she was independent.