VIRGINS | Presented by the Gershman Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival
Confident, cynical, and brash, 15-year-old Lana (Joy Rieger, Past Life) is no match for Kiryat Yam, the idle Israeli beach town she reluctantly calls home. With only her struggling single mother (Evgenia Dodina, One Week and a Day), a pack of immature guy friends, and her naïve little cousin to keep her company, Lana is set on bouncing off to Tel Aviv the moment she gets the chance. When a dreamy writer (Michael Aloni, Shtisel) turns up literally at Lana’s feet – on the beach, covered in jellyfish stings – Lana discovers a possible match for her wit and desire for worldliness. Just when she thought she had made a new friend, a story about a mythical mermaid sighting in her town goes viral, turning Kiryat Yam into a hotbed of eager tourists and Lana’s life more complicated than ever.
Nominated for five Ophir Awards, VIRGINS is a fresh take on teenage angst, female sexuality, and the complexity of mother and daughter relationships. With striking performances by Rieger and Dodina, this mesmerizing film about our need to believe is highly relatable and entertaining.
