Directed by Radu Muntean, drama/coming-of-age, 105 min, eng subtitles, 16+
Written by Radu Muntean, Alexandru Baciu, Răzvan Rădulescu
With Andra Guți, Mihaela Sîrbu, Cristine Hămbășanu, Ela Ionescu, Bogdan Dumitrache
Locarno Film Festival’s winner from the acclaimed Romanian director - Radu Muntean (Tuesday, After Christmas, One Floor Below). The film follows Alice – a buoyant and impertinent red-haired teenager who is far from the charming little girl her mother adopted as she was unable to have a child of her own. Being an endless source of problems and affected by the spectre of her mother’s disappointments, Alice acts unpredictably, forging lies and blurring lines between the fiction she designs for herself and the reality of her existence. Until her mother discovers she is pregnant.
Alice T. is an engaging and powerful story on a relationship between mother and daughter, a certain kind of power game. Awarded the best actress prize in Locarno, young actress Andra Guţi carries the complex character through couple of days, in what appears to be climax to her teenage rebellion. An original take on troubled teenage life and the need for unconditional love, Alice T. stands out from typical coming of age stories thanks to very sharp, to-the-point dialogues and complex, social observations.
Awards
Locarno IFF 2018 (Best Actress)