At her mother’s urging, introverted 16-year-old Lucija joins her Catholic school’s all-girls choir, where she befriends Ana-Marija, a popular older student. When the choir travels to a countryside convent for a weekend retreat of intensive rehearsals, Lucija is thrust into unfamiliar surroundings, complex teenage social hierarchies, and her own awakening sexuality.
A series of initiations — including a charged encounter with a dark-eyed construction worker — tests Lucija’s growing bond with Ana-Marija and unsettles the fragile harmony among the girls. As Lucija begins to question her beliefs, impulses, and identity, the pressures of faith, desire, shame, and conformity collide, pushing her toward a moment of personal breakthrough.
“This is an utterly absorbing and outstandingly acted film.” — Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
“Djukic’s coming of age drama is heady with intertwined sensual and religious symbolism; the first rate score and sound design teases out the tangled, conflicting impulses towards Catholic devotion and erotic abandon.” — Wendy Ide, Screen Daily
“With superb performances across the board, particularly from her two young leads, and an adventurous use of visual and aural elements, Djukić has conjured an alluring fusion of spiritual awakening and adolescent confusion.” — The Hollywood Reporter
