A mysterious high-school girl dives headfirst into the vices of teenage life, while undergoing a radical and uncontrollable transformation of her own, in Lisa Brühlmann’s formidable debut feature.
Surreal, beautiful, and bittersweet… a haunting and poignant film, alive with beauty, pain, and heart.
Screened as part of NZIFF 2018
Blue My Mind 2017
This sensual and visceral coming-of-age tale began as a thesis project and has since transformed into an award-winning exploration of teenage rebellion and body horror. It’s one of those less-said-the-better deals, so we’ll keep it simple. Directing with care and conviction, the talented Lisa Brühlmann draws from the classic sexual awakening of De Palma’s Carrie and meshes it with the angst of femme-centric ‘beast inside’ films like Ginger Snaps, all the while evoking the stark realism of Andrea Arnold (American Honey).
Mia is the new kid in high school, alienated from classmates and at odds with her frustrated parents. Eventually her toughness wins favour with a trio of neighbourhood ‘Heathers’ as she explores with wild abandon the usual youth cocktail of sex, drugs and crime. The queen of the clique, Gianna, begins to crush on Mia just as she spirals out and begins a transformation. Mia is completely unaware that inside of her is a genetic time-bomb about to explode. Life will never be the same again.
A beautiful balancing act that effortlessly skips between tones, Blue My Mind makes for a singular, shocking, raucous, poignant and heartbreaking look at one’s unavoidable destiny. — AT