Directed by Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic
Written by Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic, Frank Graziano
Starring Gracija Filipović, Danica Čurčić, Leon Lučev, Cliff Curtis
Runtime: 1 hour, 35 minutes
Now available on Blu-Ray from Kino Lorber

by Ryan Silberstein, Managing Editor, Red Herring

Synopsis of Murina per Letterboxd:

A teenage girl decides to replace her controlling father with his wealthy foreign friend during a weekend trip to the Adriatic Sea.

What features make it special?

Introduction and Q&A by the director (courtesy of Metrograph)

Why you need to add it to your video library:

Murina is that special kind of feature film debut that seems to emerge fully formed, in this case from the beautiful Adriatic Sea. While it has the familiar trappings of a coming-of-age drama, the execution by director Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic sets it apart. Kusijanovic is already an impressive visual stylist, and while her lenses treat the film’s coastal setting as mundane, as it is to Julija (Gracija Filipović) and her family, it positively sparkles on this disc. This is an area of the world not often seen in the west, and narrative films from regional filmmakers are often the best glimpse. Of special note is the underwater photography, which is both immersive and meaningful, as Julija seems more comfortable in the water than on land. The ocean is her home and her place of power, and the way her relationship to it shapes the story is fascinating to discover as the film goes along.

As a whole, Murina lives in the space between fairy tales (this would make a fascinating double feature with Christian Petzold’s Undine) and young adult novels. At times it is lyrical and poetic, but never in a way that derails the narrative. Growth happens over time, and seeing Julija start to actualize herself and the ways it is both similar and different to typical American teen characters is another way that Kusijanovic’s film speaks across cultures. I’m sad I missed its brief theatrical run, but happy to add it to my shelf.

Murina is now available on Blu-Ray here.