Murina

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.

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.

Cowriter (with Frank Graziano)/director Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic's Camera d'or winning feature debut recharges the coming-of-age story with multi-generational sexual heat and a constant threat of danger in a sun-splashed, Adriatic setting. Before the man Ante describes as 'god on earth' arrives, Julija dutifully accompanies her father to spearfish for the titular eels before returning to her room where she watches vacationing teenagers flirt on a yacht below her window.

When she's not capturing the sparkling sea and dramatic underwater scenes, cinematographer Hélène Louvart ("The Lost Daughter") uses angles like these to add weight to the viewer's point of view - Murina will look down again from a height at a very different type of flirting (and we will gaze up at her, a statuesque sea nymph in an aqua one piece). There will also be tight spaces promising danger, like the rocks Ante recklessly pilots a boat through or the underwater crevice Julija risks for an escape.

Then Javier arrives and he appears to be everything Ante is not, appreciative of the women's beauty, encouraging Julija to expand her dreams and think of going to Harvard. Javier's attentions make Julija bolder and Ante angrier. Julija tells Nela that Javier is obviously in love with her and that they should leave with him, but the older beauty knows better. Afraid that his daughter's rebellious behavior will sink his business deal, Ante does what she's been accusing him of wanting to do, literally locking her up in a boathouse. The man needs to watch his back.

Kusijanovic counters sensuality with tension throughout, accentuated by the tautly vibrating violins of "Loveless" composers Evgueni and Sasha Galperine. The overlapping interplay of two sets of three, the dysfunctional family and the flirtatious love triangle, is beautifully acted, Filipovic wordlessly displaying mercurial emotions between the extremes of Lucev and Curtis. "Murina" is a bold and beautiful expression of one young woman's bolt for freedom.

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.

Julija loves the sea and to foray, but is she the metaphorical moray, trapped in a creel, caught on a reel, with a father that treats her as quarry.

Beautiful film, top drawer performances, growing up can be tough!