Movies: Little Trouble Girls (2025) by Urška Djukić: A lyrical coming-of-age story about faith, desire, and identity
- dailyentertainment95
- Oct 14
- 5 min read
When belief and longing collide in the silence of a convent
Little Trouble Girls (2025), originally titled Kaj ti je deklica, is a Slovenian-Italian-Croatian-Serbian co-production directed by Urška Djukić and co-written with Marina Gumzi and Maria Bohr. Starring Jara Sofija Ostan, Mina Svajger, and Saša Tabaković, the film explores the fragile line between spirituality and sensuality through the eyes of a teenage girl caught between devotion and awakening.
The story follows Lucija (Jara Sofija Ostan), a 16-year-old student at a Catholic school who joins the choir and befriends the older, devout Ana-Marija (Mina Svajger). During a choir retreat in a remote convent, Lucija becomes drawn to a restoration worker, awakening a confusing mix of attraction, guilt, and rebellion. As tension grows between Lucija and Ana-Marija, their friendship becomes a reflection of faith, desire, and the search for self-definition in a world ruled by silence.
Slovenia’s official submission for the 98th Academy Awards (2026), Little Trouble Girls has already earned 4 wins and 5 nominations at major European film festivals for its poetic storytelling and sensitive portrayal of adolescence.
Why to Recommend: A quiet storm of emotion and awakening
A modern coming-of-age within sacred walls: Djukić transforms the familiar “boarding school awakening” story into a deeply personal meditation on faith, repression, and freedom.The convent setting amplifies every whisper, gaze, and doubt—creating a spiritual thriller where emotion, not violence, drives tension.
Authentic female perspective: Told entirely through Lucija’s point of view, the film captures the unique turmoil of teenage self-discovery under the weight of religious expectation.
Minimalism meets emotion: The dialogue is sparse, but every gesture speaks volumes. The result is a slow-burning, introspective drama that treats its young characters with empathy rather than judgment.
Where to watch: https://www.justwatch.com/uk/movie/little-trouble-girls (UK)
Link IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28834646/
What is the Trend Followed: Intimate realism and the sacred-feminine revival
Little Trouble Girls reflects the European arthouse revival of faith-centered coming-of-age dramas, where spirituality and sexuality are intertwined rather than opposed.
Faith and femininity: Similar to The Novice (2021) and The Chambermaid Lynn, the film uses religious discipline as metaphor for female self-control and the quiet rebellion within it.
Slow-burn intimacy: Like Portrait of a Lady on Fire and Carmen & Lola, it explores desire through atmosphere—through light, sound, and proximity rather than explicitness.
Balkan minimalism: Echoing the emotional restraint of Sonja Prosenc and Nuri Bilge Ceylan, the film situates personal struggle within cultural silence.
Spiritual surrealism: Subtle dream imagery blurs prayer and fantasy, turning faith into a cinematic language of longing.
Post-patriarchal narrative: It contributes to the regional wave of stories reclaiming women’s voices from religious or moral systems, portraying belief as deeply personal rather than institutional.
Summary: Little Trouble Girls sits within the European trend of “sacred realism”—films that explore female identity through the tension between purity and desire.
Director’s Vision: Faith as mirror, desire as confession
Urška Djukić, known for her short film The Right One, expands her visual and emotional vocabulary in her first feature. Her direction blends Catholic iconography with psychological intimacy.
The convent as a character: Through careful framing and lighting, Djukić transforms the monastery’s corridors and chapels into metaphors for Lucija’s inner landscape—both sanctuary and cage.
Emotion in silence: Djukić avoids melodrama; her storytelling lies in the pauses between hymns, the trembling hands at prayer, and the flicker of candlelight on conflicted faces.
Female solidarity: Though the film revolves around tension, Djukić ultimately portrays Lucija and Ana-Marija as mirrors—two versions of womanhood navigating shame, loyalty, and awakening.
Themes: Belief, awakening, and the collision of innocence and desire
Faith vs. self-discovery: Lucija’s journey is not rebellion—it’s reconciliation between her spiritual upbringing and her awakening autonomy.
The sacred and the profane: Religious devotion and erotic curiosity intertwine, exploring how both stem from longing for connection.
Friendship and jealousy: Her bond with Ana-Marija becomes an emotional battleground for love, control, and belonging.
The gaze and guilt: Every look becomes confession, every silence a prayer. Djukić uses cinema’s visual intimacy to explore spiritual repression.
Purity and hypocrisy: The film subtly critiques how institutions demand purity while denying complexity, especially in young women.
Key Success Factors: Direction, performance, and tone
Jara Sofija Ostan’s breakout performance: She carries the film with raw authenticity, portraying Lucija’s innocence and turmoil with remarkable emotional precision.
Mina Svajger’s Ana-Marija: A layered portrayal of faith and envy, grounding the story’s emotional conflict.
Visual minimalism: Cinematographer Matjaž Mrak uses soft light and handheld intimacy to create a tactile sense of closeness and suffocation.
Sound and silence: The choir music serves as emotional counterpoint—both divine and oppressive. Every note echoes Lucija’s confusion.
Djukić’s restraint: Her refusal to sensationalize sexuality or faith gives the film its power—it invites reflection instead of reaction.
Awards & Nominations: Acclaimed European debut
Little Trouble Girls earned 4 international awards and 5 nominations, including:
Best First Feature – Sarajevo Film Festival
Best Actress (Jara Sofija Ostan) – Ljubljana IFF
Special Jury Mention – Rotterdam IFF
Official submission – Slovenia for the 98th Academy Awards (2026)
Critics praised its authenticity, emotional precision, and visual beauty.
Critics Reception: Intimate, fearless, and elegantly restrained
Variety: “A quietly transgressive debut. Djukić finds beauty in contradiction—faith and desire, sin and purity.”
Cineuropa: “Lucija’s story feels both specific and universal—told with compassion, courage, and lyrical calm.”
The Guardian: “A striking first feature about what it means to feel everything for the first time.”
Slovene Times: “Tender, provocative, and beautifully photographed—a film that listens rather than preaches.”
Summary: Critics hail Little Trouble Girls as a daring and soulful debut, blending the spiritual and sensual into a single cinematic hymn.
Reviews: Thoughtful, divisive, and deeply felt
Supporters: Called it “an intimate portrait of awakening faith and sexuality,” praising its nuance and sensitivity.
Skeptics: Some criticized it for “familiar themes,” but even detractors noted its craftsmanship and atmosphere.
Audience consensus: “A quiet, brave film that explores forbidden emotions with grace and empathy.”
Summary: Viewers describe Little Trouble Girls as a meditative drama that lingers long after it ends—controversial in topic, but deeply human in tone.
Movie Trend: Feminine spirituality and the return of “quiet rebellion”
The film embodies the new European trend of feminine spirituality in cinema—films that reclaim religious imagery through empathy rather than dogma. Like Saint Omer and The Novice, it portrays internal faith crises as acts of liberation rather than shame.
Social Trend: Young women redefining belief and identity
In a world where traditional institutions clash with personal freedom, Little Trouble Girls resonates as a reflection of Gen Z’s spiritual questioning—balancing inherited faith with self-determination. It speaks to audiences navigating the moral noise of modern life, searching for authenticity in belief, sexuality, and identity.
Final Verdict: Subtle, spiritual, and quietly revolutionary
Little Trouble Girls (2025) is a beautifully restrained coming-of-age film that turns the convent into a space of emotional revelation. With Urška Djukić’s compassionate direction and Jara Sofija Ostan’s luminous performance, it becomes a meditation on love, guilt, and growing up with grace.Verdict: A tender and courageous debut—a prayer whispered between innocence and awakening.
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