OK
2025
By Varja Yakovleva
Guilty Girl
Synopsis
The village is filled with a lingering atmosphere of violence and destruction. A teenage girl who lives with her father tries to make friends with her peers. But the painful bond she has with her father affects all areas of her life. Left alone in a society full of indifference and cruelty, her patience eventually reaches its limit. The child grows up and finds the strength to resist.
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Mission
Varja experienced a deep disappointment with her home country, where she grew up and developed her art, a country she sincerely loved.
Varja had to emigrate from Russia with a heavy burden of guilt for the criminal war that continues to this day. The pain for her homeland, where the repressive apparatus grows increasingly stronger. The memories of her former life and the challenges she faces in a new society. All these aspects were expressed in metaphorical form in the film 'Guilty Girl'.
Varja does not wish to moralize, it is important for her to share her feelings. To show that sometimes a person can be so pressured that they see no other way but to burn everything around them, and that help sometimes comes from the people they least expect.
About the film
"Guilty Girl" is a 14-minute 2D animation drama directed by Russian émigré artist Varja Yakovleva that explores themes of trauma, oppression, and resilience. Set in a rural village marked by violence, the film follows a teenage girl struggling to connect with peers while living under the shadow of a difficult relationship with her father. She goes through the stages of growing up and severing a painful bond with her father while facing a harsh reality.
The narrative serves as an allegory for the director's own experience of leaving Russia amid political upheaval. Drawing from personal experience, Varja examines how societal indifference can push individuals to their breaking point. This is Franco-Norwegian co-production between Golem & Linea (France) and Trollfilm (Norway).