Blue My Mind

ZT will screen before this film.

This event is co-presented by Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies and will kick off with an expert speaker!  Samm Deighan will introduce the film with a discussion of female adolescence as a source of horror and the uncanny, from its origins in fairy tales and eighteenth century gothic literature to films about the terror of female sexual awakening like Cat People (1942), The White Reindeer (1952), Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975), and Company of the Wolves (1984).

Samm Deighan is Associate Editor of Diabolique Magazine and co-host of the Daughters of Darkness Podcast. She’s the editor of Lost Girls: The Phantasmagorical Cinema of Jean Rollin and her book on Fritz Lang’s M (1931) is forthcoming.

Samm’s talk will be followed by a video greeting from director Lisa Brühlmann.

NYC PREMIERE When Mia (Luna Wedler) moves with her parents to a new town, she is forced to adapt to a new home and school midway through the year. Though she’s desperate to make new friends, she doesn’t let herself be intimidated by the cool kids at her new school. Soon enough she becomes a part of their world, bonding with their leader, Gianna (Zoë Pastelle Holthuizen), and their rule-breaking ways shoplifting, older boys, smoking, drinking, and drugs. But Gianna’s more than just a rebel. She’s magnetic and fearless and seems to have no boundaries. And one sunny afternoon, while they’re playing a game, she chokes Mia so hard that the new girl passes out. Something mysterious starts to form, and nothing will ever be the same again. 15-year-old Mia is facing an overwhelming transformation which calls her entire existence into question. Her body is changing radically, and despite desperate attempts to halt the process, she is soon forced to accept that nature is far more powerful than her.

We’ve searched the world for films for What The Fest!?, seeking out movies from daring filmmakers who go beyond genre to add another layer to their films – movies that have some kind of wtf element, and BLUE MY MIND is a perfectly fitting fantastic tale. What might sound like a familiar set up for a coming of age film turns into something seriously surprising, executed with power and love for the subjects and theme of the film: a wild friendship between two girls in the most unexpected circumstances. Even more exciting is the fact that this confident, full-bodied portrayal of adolescence is not just director Lisa Brühlmann’s debut, it’s her film school thesis. She leads both of her stars to exceptional performances, and the result is stunning – a stark, emotive, beautiful tale that will leave no one cold.

– Maria Reinup

GENRE: DRAMA | FANTASY