Kino Lorber debuted the official trailer for Murina, the coming-of-age debut feature by Croatian writer & director Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović, based on her short film Into The Blue. Executive produced by Martin Scorsese, the film stars Gracija Filipović, Danica Curcic, Leon Lučev and Cliff Curtis.
The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival where Kusijanović won the Caméra d’Or for best first feature film. Murina went on to screen at the Toronto International Film Festival and other festivals around the world, and will open theatrically on Friday, July 8th at Metrograph in New York, and on Friday, July 15th at Laemmle Theatres in Los Angeles with rollout to select cities.
On a remote island along Croatia’s Adriatic coast, 17-year-old Julija spends her days diving for eel with her domineering father Ante and watching other teens party on a nearby yacht. Julija bristles at Ante’s heavy-handed cruelty and resents her mother Nela’s passivity. She longs for independence but is unsure how to achieve it, until the arrival of the rich and mysterious Javier seems to offer a way out. Javier is considering buying Ante’s land to build a resort, which would allow the family to escape their island isolation for the city. Once Ante’s employer and Nela’s lover, Javier flirts shamelessly with Nela and Julija, setting off a subtle battle of hypermasculine one-upmanship that pushes Ante to humiliate and control Julija even more. Flattered by Javier’s praise and stories of traveling the world, Julija sees him as the solution to all her problems. But does his affection portend freedom, or something more sinister?
Watch the official U.S. trailer for Murina.