Young Maria lives with her grandmother in an unnamed industrial town somewhere in Lithuania. Feeling isolated and abandoned by her mother, she dreams to escape her small confines to find freedom and independence. At school, she’s the target of bullying due to her walking problem. She ends up in a fight with one of the girls that target her, named Kristina. But things take a turn and the two form an unlikely friendship. Maria follows Kristina by enrolling into a mysterious modeling school. Through the fashion industry, Maria thinks to have found an escape out of her current situation.

Just like the other girls in her group, Maria’s dream to escape is exploited, funneled into something darker than she had thought to have signed up for. The girls are prepared for one of the biggest casting events in the region. We are shown how brutal the competitive spirit of the industry can become. Maria and Kristina relentlessly push themselves to abuse their bodies in increasingly extreme ways.

Saulė Bliuvaitė strips the modeling industry of all its glamour and shows its rawest form. The exploitative nature of these schools and casting events is presented through the director’s personal experience. The female body is manipulated and objectified to a point where it acts as a currency. In this way, Maria and every girl going through these trajectories are stripped of their personhood. Here, Bliuvaitė highlights the importance of human connection and a sisterhood among women.