Murina is a seaside Croatian sensation
Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović's debut feature offers a dreamlike coming-of-age story set against the stunning Dalmatian coast

The story of a princess locked in a tower waiting for a rescuing knight can be found in everything from the Brothers Grimm to Monty Python. Rarely has the setting been as gorgeous in its specificity as in Murina, the first feature from Croatian director Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović.
Julija (Gracija Filipovic) is bored teen eager to bust out of her sleepy, rocky island along the Dalmatian Coast. How her parents Ante (Leon Lucev) and Nela (Danica Curcic) ended up there, and what they do for a living, remains a bit vague. It seems like Ante, with Julija aiding him, sustains the family by spear-fishing moray eels (the Murinas of the title), but it also feels like their cliffside home, with plenty of room for al fresco dining, is some kind of inn. There’s a hazy, dream-like quality to this movie, with backstory only rolling in in refreshing waves. Maybe they just swim all day, and somehow get by?
But it’s only Julija, really, that seems to delight in the easy access to the lapping, turquoise water of the Adriatic. Filipovic spends most of the movie in a bathing suit and barefoot, never a wince on her face as she races along pebbles and stones. (What was casting this role like? No one with sensitive soles should apply?) Ante is preoccupied with being a corrosive, insecure jerk at every turn, humiliating his daughter for God knows what purpose. Nela medicates herself with “this will all get better soon” lies, and maintains a constantly clenched stomach.
The hope is that a visiting old friend, Javi (Cliff Curtis), will be bring salvation. Javi and Ante are “old friends” (the specifics of whose relationship are teased out rather slowly) and now he’s a zillionaire on the cover of Bloomberg Business Week. Ante owns land nearby—half an undeveloped island. He hopes to convince the owner of the other half (a capricious old man) to allow Javi to buy it; it’s just a few hours from Italy, could be converted to a resort, and is rich in natural splendor. (Indeed, if you forget your lunch on the boat, you can scoop up sea urchins for a snack in no time, as our gang does one afternoon.)