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Toxic film image; group of women in black bathing suits leaning on each other against wall

Toxic

Akiplėša

Vanguard

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North American Premiere

Left behind by her mother, 13-year-old Marija is settling into a new, small-town life with her grandmother when a violent encounter puts her in the orbit of the resident “It girl,” Kristina. Eager to fit in and impress her new best friend, Marija reluctantly joins the local modeling school where the popular girls seem to converge. But the school’s shady practices drive girls to dangerous extremes as they try to fit an unattainable mold and pursue the promise of a glamorous life overseas.

Blending social realism with striking, precisely choreographed stylistic accents, newcomer Saulė Bliuvaitė makes her directorial mark with this no-holds-barred take on the complex and volatile nature of teenage girls’ inner lives. She artfully pulls back the curtain on the fragile adolescent psyche as well as their innate sense of resilience. Amidst the chaos and toxic competitive patterns, she finds sparks of genuine camaraderie and raw female intimacy.

 

Golden Leopard: Official Competition, Locarno 2024

 

Presented by

Media Partner

Director
Cast

Ieva Rupeikaitė, Vesta Matulytė, Giedrius Savickas, Vilma Raubaitė, Eglė Gabrėnaitė

Credits
Country of Origin

Lithuania

Year

2024

Language

In Lithuanian with English subtitles

Film Contact
Links
Content Warning

Self harm, bullying

18+
99 min
Award Winners Drama Women Directors
Akis Bado

Book Tickets

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Credits & Director

Executive Producer

Justė Michailinaitė

Producer

Giedrė Burokaitė

Screenwriter

Saulė Bliuvaitė

Cinematography

Vytautas Katkus

Editor

Ignė Narbutaitė

Production Design

Paulius Aničas

Original Music

Gediminas Jakubka

Saulė Bliuvaitė headshot; Toxic director

Saulė Bliuvaitė

Born in 1994, film director and screenwriter Saulė Bliuvaitė graduated from the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre’s Film Directing program in 2018. Her recent short film Limousine (2021) received the Best Short Documentary award at the Warsaw Film Festival. Saulė is the co-writer and co-editor of the historical drama Isaac, nominated for a FIPRESCI prize at the 2020 European Film Awards. Toxic is her debut feature film.

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