Toxic

A room with several people wearing plastic coverings, seated in various chairs, with a worn appearance, large windows with lace curtains, and a painting of a reclining figure above a radiator.

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 enrolls in a mysterious modeling 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 modeling school force Maria on a quest to discover her own identity. Dreaming of an escape from the bleakness of their hometown, the promise of a better life pushes the girls to violate their bodies in increasingly extreme ways.

Toxic is the debut feature from Lithuanian filmmaker Saulė Bliuvaitė. The film premiered in the international competition at the 2024 Locarno Film Festival, where it won the prestigious Golden Leopard.

Part of our "New Visions, New Voices" series. Courtesy of Benedita Film Sales. In Lithuanian with English subtitles.