Sworn Virgin

Sworn Virgin is Laura Bispuri's stunning feature-length debut. The Italian director wrote the delicate screenplay for established star Alba Rohrwacher, adapted from the eponymous award-winning novel by Elvira Dones. Like Bispuri's previous shorts, this film revolves around themes of freedom and identity.

Set in Albania, the story follows the life of fictional character Hana Doda as she attempts to escape the social confines of the patriarchal mountain community in which she lives through becoming a sworn virgin. By engaging in the centuries-old practice, she is able to dress and receive the privileges of living as a man. The scenery in these early sequences, and in the ensuing flashbacks, is beautifully sparse. Snow falls gently off roofs and crunches under the townspeople's feet as they walk along icy riversides. There's a cold and blue tinge to the film, lending it an appropriate feeling of isolation and detachment.

The film is full of parallels and juxtapositions, drawing motive connections from the flashback scenes and indulging in occasionally disorientating symbolic imagery with synchronised swimmers. Filmed using a hand-held camera, there's a documentary sense to it that mirrors the sensory exploration Rohrwacher's character engages in on moving out of the mountain town. Her charming and vulnerable performance is skilfully interwoven with these elements to produce an exquisitely gorgeous and fascinating look at the cross-section between culture and perspective.