Marija’s Own

Colour, HD CAM
Croatia, 2011, 62 min
EP – European premiere
Section: East of the West - Films in Competition

Synopsis

Three girls organise a private party to honour the memory of their grandmother Marija Violić, who died six years previously. It’s not a huge gathering of people who come to her flat in the Croatian coastal town of Rijeka, but a colourful cross-section of individuals all the same. Along with various friends and neighbours, the Czech band Midi Lidi are also invited – a bunch of unknowns as far as the other guests are concerned. In such varied company, there’s no chance of the dead woman’s tribute descending into sentimental cliché. Reminiscences are complemented with dancing, singing and even a competition to come up with the best decoration for grandma’s tombstone. Željka Suková’s semi-improvised debut as writer and director hovers on the border between documentary and feature film. The highly personal theme, supported by excerpts from amateur family videos and family albums, here takes the form of some kind of reality show whose aim isn’t to dishonour the deceased but, on the contrary, to seek the most sincere expressions of emotion.

About the director

Željka Suková (b. 1977, Rijeka, Croatia) studied graphic art in Zagreb and new media at Prague’s Academy of Fine Arts. Apart from directing films, she is also involved in production. Marija’s Own is her first feature film, about which she states the following: "The clear outline of the film was familiar only to a few, while other participants spontaneously joined in and followed particular situations. We wanted to avoid scripted roles and come as close as possible to what we have left from the person we once knew. Perhaps we should look at death with a smile, because we don’t know its meaning. Should we really be afraid? Should we mourn the unknown?”