Toxic

Local title

Mürgine

Original title

Akiplėša

Director

Saulė Bliuvaitė

Country

Lithuania

Year

2024

Festival

24th Youth and Children's Film Festival

Programme

International Youth Competition Programme, Children's Rights Programme

Genre

drama, youth film, youth series

Subject

familial relationships, eating disorders, friendship, poverty, belonging, coming of age, rural life, children's rights, youth, cinematography

Abandoned by her mother, 13-year-old Maria is forced to live with her grandmother in a bleak industrial town. During a violent clash on the street, Maria meets Kristina, a girl of the same age who is striving to become a fashion model. Trying to get closer to her, Maria enrols in a mysterious modelling school, where the girls are preparing for the biggest casting event in the region. Her ambiguous relationship with Kristina and the intense, cult-like environment of the modelling school force Maria on a quest to discover her own identity.

Recommended age 12+

Director

Saulė Bliuvaitė

Screenwriter

Saulė Bliuvaitė

Cast

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

Producer

Giedrė Burokaitė

Cinematographer

Vytautas Katkus

Composer

Gediminas Jakubka

Music

Gediminas Jakubka

Sound

Julius Grigelionis, Vytis Puronas

World sales

Bendita Film Sales

Runtime

Language

English, Lithuanian

Subtitles

Estonian, English

Director

Saulė Bliuvaitė

Saulė Bliuvaitė is a film director and screenwriter, who graduated from the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre’s Film Directing programme in 2018. Her recent short film “Limousine” 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.

Limousine (2021), Toxic (2024)