- Release year: 2025
- Director: Urska Djukic.
- Producers: David Cej and Jozko Rutar.
- Screenplay by: Urska Djukic and Maria Bohr.
- Cinematography by:Lev Predan Kowarski.
- Music by: Kranjcan Lojze.
Synopsis: a young girl joins a choir and discovers that complexities of sexuality.
Shotgun Commentary: charming, soft, and incredibly poetic. A must-watch for any Sofia Coppola fans.
Review
Little Trouble Girls is a gorgeous essay on the beauty of youth and sexual awakening. Against the backdrop of a convent and a religious upbringing, the young protagonist discovers the intricacies of sexual attraction and physical pleasure. Unavoidably, these come hand in hand with the feelings of guilt, shame and confusion that the religious values instilled in her.
Growing pains
The feature states its intentions and theme from the very beginning. Opening with a powerful shot of an O’Keeffe-ish vagina painting to showcase its message: the blooming of a young girl into a woman through art. Said girl is Lucija (Jara Sofija Ostan). She who begins her journey in an all-girls choir parallel to that of the awakening of her sexual curiosity. This choir features Ana-Marija (Mina Svajger), an extroverted girl with no shame or guilt towards sexuality and desire. Her presence in Lucija’s life serves to bring balance to an otherwise repressed form of living dictated by her mother, Carrie (1976) style.
These two feminine presences are roughly equivalent to the classic “angel and demon on each shoulder” situation. They are the main manipulators of Lucjia’s values and priorities. Where one paints her lips, the other confiscates her makeup box. One teaches her how to kiss, the other changes channels when an intimate scene comes up on TV. These complete opposite viewpoints clash inside Lucija’s mind, who’s put to such extreme stress and powerful hormonal reactions that she has no other choice but to end up making her own decisions.
A warring environment
The relationship between religion and nature is turbulent at best, yet both coexist, woven in each other. Two opposites that are somehow forced to be in the exact same reality. A contradiction that can be difficult and quite challenging, especially if you happen to be living it in such extremes and on top of the war of hormones that usually takes place during puberty.
Both topics are approached in a really artistic, almost delicate, way. The nature that surrounds Lucija, as well as that of a naked human body, are shown almost more like paintings than an actual reality. The light work and tones make you think that you have somehow inserted your head in a painting and are now looking at its reality rather than at the reality that surrounds you every day. As for the religious aspect, there is a tint of warmth and humour in both text and imagery that, despite some complex realities, manages to come through, showcasing a more scarce way to portray this entity.
The final touches
Another aspect of the film that is incredibly present yet completely irrelevant up to a point is the presence of men. They are mere objects or catalysts in Lucija’s life, much like, traditionally, women have been in cinema to men’s stories. There are two main male influences in Lucija’s story.
Much like it happened with her female influences, there is the good and the bad. The first being a construction worker that awakens her natural instincts despite her religious prejudice, and the second being the repressed conductor of the choir who doesn’t understand the concept of privacy and likes to bully girls Whiplash (2014) style just to feel more like a man.
All in all, Little Trouble Girls feels like an essay in gender dynamics and sexual awakening, as well as a love letter to all young girls going through this phase, a letter full of understanding, respect, and support. In a world where women’s bodies are usually treated like a shameful thing to be ruled over, this feature is a symbol of resistance, of shameless self-love when the tide is telling you to shut up and hide. And it is absolutely glorious.
Little Trouble Girls was part of the EIFF 2025 programme. Find all the info here!
Little Trouble Girls is now screening at Leiden International Film Festival in the Netherlands! Screenings on October the 14th, 15th and 16th. Find all the info here!
Advice to take from this movie:
- Stealing clothes is a great way to flirt under very specific circumstances.
- Eating grapes cleans your sins. Or maybe not, but it is better than telling a stranger your secrets.
- You don’t need your virgin sculpture to light up, but it does manage to instil the fear of good it if it does in the middle of the night.
What’s your take? Have you watched Little Trouble Girls? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀