Toxic

The debut film that took the Locarno Film Festival by storm is a shockingly direct confrontation with the demons of female adolescence, body image and class inequality. The tough and fearless directorial vision and gut-wrenching screenplay make the film inescapably memorable.

Synopsis

13-year-old Maria lives with her grandmother in a bleak industrial town. During a violent street clash, Maria meets Kristina, a girl her age who aspires to be a model. The two girls enroll in a mysterious modeling school, where they prepare for the biggest casting audition in the area. Her ambivalent relationship with Kristina and the environment of the modeling school (which resembles a cult) push Maria on a journey in search of her identity.