From London to Plymvale, rural Devon, ANA (16) expects a dreary life following her mum’s dream of becoming a landscape painter. But all that changes when she meets MONICA (17), openly gay and confident. Chasing her desires, Ana is led down a reckless path and falls deeply for Monica, not yet realising the price of first love.

Adolescence is messy at the best of times and life-threatening at the worst of times. It is a journey that must be taken in order to come-of-age. Ana plunges into the depths of her psyche to discover the truth of what it means to love and to be loved. Though country landscapes can be pretty, rural England is far from idyllic; it’s dull when you have nowhere to go. Being transgressive becomes an occupation, not a choice.

The vision for the film is social realist combined with a dream-like quality. Gritty but entertaining. Fast paced and dynanic, with an exciting, throwback soundtrack. Comparable in style to recent films such as Ali & Ava (2022, Clio Bernard) and The Worst Person In The World (2022, Joachim Trier).

Read the screenplay here.

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