BEATRIX

In our fast-paced world, where most people feel overwhelmed and can barely catch their breath from the hectic pace of life, Lilith Kraxner and Milena Czernovsky's feature debut invites us to slow down and experience a unique existentialist ode to ennui and the ordinary - both essential but all too often underestimated aspects of coping with the many challenges of our time.

Meet Beatrix, a young woman who spends her idle summer days alone in a house that doesn't seem to be hers. At least judging by the eighties decor, which opens up another layer of interpretation of the movie. We don't learn much about her background or what brought her here. Sometimes she gets visitors, but mostly she wanders around in silence, losing herself in thoughts that never become explicit and in trivial actions that make the movie seem like a contemporary dance performance of the everyday.

Nevertheless, we understand that Beatrix is at a crossroads. Or perhaps we, the viewers, transfer our inner turmoil into her seemingly calm everyday life. The non-narrative approach provides disarming access to a raw portrayal of female intimacy, where the protagonist dominates the beautiful composition of warm, grainy 16mm images in 4:3 format. Susana S. Rodrigues