A girl swims alone in a reinvented coming-of-age story that’s already made waves at Locarno and Busan.

Talented swimmer Mila hopes to spend the entire summer with her mother, who seems only to promise that everything will change before she finds another foreign lover. Left alone with her younger sister Lina at a resort hotel, Mila learns about the East German women’s team’s untraceable doping: they slept with their coach, became pregnant before competitions to spike hormone levels – which enhanced performance – and then had abortions. Other girls are tempted to try this method with their strict coach Vlad, who has developed a unique training technique involving body vibrations and the power of nature.

Lithuanian actor Valentin Novopolskij (remarkably intense in “Two Prosecutors”) stars in the co-production with Kazakhstan as coach Vlad, preparing the team for open-water swimming, where athletes must navigate weather, waves, wind, and water temperature.

Stubbornly rebellious, Mila battles Kazakh restrictions, family pressure, jealousy, and other challenges as she fights to replace a benchwarmer in a fierce rivalry for a spot at the Central Asia Competition. While learning proper breathing techniques, she regains self-confidence and eases painful memories.

Edvinas Pukšta