The script penned by Bliuvaitė tells the story of a 13-year-old girl Maria, who lives in a poor suburb. Without her mother around, her entrance into adolescence is deeply confusing. Maria meets Kristina, who is desperate to become a fashion model. To get closer to her, Maria enrols in the same modelling school, where girls are preparing for the biggest casting in the region. Fearless and blunt, Kristina turns Maria’s life upside down as they embark on increasingly dangerous adventures.
Vesta Matulyte, Ieva Rupeikaite, Egle Gabrenaite, Giedrius Savickas and Vilma Raubaite play the main characters.
“During my adolescence, which I spent on the streets of a poor industrial district, I was constantly faced with the feeling that I did not exist. I felt that I had to carve my name on an imaginary wall, climb the highest mountain, win the biggest cup to feel that I existed. The eternal human desire to achieve perfection. I always wondered from where this desire came. Find the most desirable partner, build the most impressive building, earn the largest amount of money or have the most perfect body. Why does a person decide to sacrifice everything to be able to say: ‘I'm the best’?”, Saulė Bliuvaitė told FNE.
Giedre Burokaite is producing through Lithuania’s Akis bado with support from the Lithuanian Film Centre and the Lithuanian National Radio and Television, and with a budget of approximately 540,000 EUR. Juste Michailinaite is the executive producer.
The project was developed at Ekran+ in Poland.
The locations are based in Kaunas and Vilnius. The shooting counts 23 days in May - June 2023 with three shooting days in January 2024.
Toxic will have its premiere in 2024.
Production Information:
Producer:
Akis Bado (Lithuania)
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Credits:
Director: Saulė Bliuvaitė
Scriptwriter: Saulė Bliuvaitė
DoP: Vytautas Katkus
Editor: Igne Narbuaite
Sound designer: Julius Grigelionis
Cast: Vesta Matulyte, Ieva Rupeikaite, Egle Gabrenaite, Giedrius Savickas, Vilma Raubaite
