Toxic
In the drab Lithuanian town of Kaunas, 13-year-old Marija is mercilessly bullied for walking with a limp. Her mother does not care and dumps her with her grandmother. One day, she and the rebellious Kristina are picked up by a shady modelling agency; the agency promises golden mountains to young, slim girls, but of course they must first pay for their training, photos and flights abroad. But most importantly, they have to stay thin. A tapeworm can take care of that, Kristina knows. The girls, now allies, are willing to do anything with their bodies just to escape their fate.
With her first feature film, director Saule Bliuvaite explores, through the story of two girls who have to find a way through a toxic existence, how the body can be used as a project, means of payment and source of pain and magic. It earned her the Golden Leopard at the Locarno Film Festival.
