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God Exists, Her Name Is Petrunija

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God Exists, Her Name Is Petrunija

Released Jun 25, 2021

1h 40m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

82%

Tomatometer

33 Reviews

64%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

In Stip, a small town in Macedonia, every January the local priest throws a wooden cross into the river and hundreds of men dive after it. Good fortune and prosperity are guaranteed to the man who retrieves it. This time, Petrunya dives into the water on a whim and manages to grab the cross before the others. Her competitors are furious -- how dare a woman take part in their ritual? All hell breaks loose, but Petrunya holds her ground. She won her cross and will not give it up.

Critics Consensus

God Exists, Her Name Is Petrunya approaches serious topics from a satirical angle, with largely praiseworthy results.

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Nicolas Rapold

New York Times

The director, Teona Strugar Mitevska, draws on actual events for this good-humored story of occupation and resistance.

Jun 24, 2021

Full Review

Garry Maddox

Sydney Morning Herald

It's a story inspired by a real event that is given a quirky satirical treatment by Macedonian director Teona Strugar Mitevska.

Aug 2, 2019

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Jay Weissberg

Variety

Positions itself as a feminist cry against a patriarchal Macedonia in the grips of bullying machismo and hidebound religion, yet the genial rushed ending undercuts its gender-equality thrust...

Feb 12, 2019

Full Review

Witney Seibold

Critically Acclaimed Podcast

'Petrunya' cuts off before it arrives at any sort of meaningful climax, but the events depicted along the way highlight the meaninglessness of institutional misogyny.

Oct 7, 2021

Full Review

Gisela Savdie

Letra Urbana

The film depicts a society organized in a very misogynistic way [Full review in Spanish]

Jul 18, 2021

Full Review

Avi Offer

NYC Movie Guru

A well-acted, but lethargic and underwhelming story that fails to pack an emotional or intellectual wallop.

Rated: 5.781348/10

Jun 29, 2021

Full Review

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Audience Member

this movie is blasphemy, god can't be a woman or gay 🤬🙏

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

Full Review

brent m

Taking on an entrenched, centuries-old social, religious and political patriarchy is no easy feat, but the protagonist in director Teona Strugar Mitevska's latest offering unwittingly does just that. Set in the small Macedonian community of Stip, a discouraged, unemployed, single, plus-sized, thirty-something spinster who still lives with her parents becomes the unlikely center of attention when she impulsively participates in and wins a traditional male-only competition, inciting claims of impropriety, invoking civil unrest and theft of a religious icon (with no legal basis for backing up any of the charges, despite inflated vague allegations that she broke "the rules"). While the film crackles with biting satire and delivers an important and empowering message for women, it tends to get bogged down in repetitive, circular arguments at times, making the picture come across as somewhat heavy-handed and dogmatic (at least to viewers who reside in more tolerant and open-minded societies). But, then, for a culture that has long fought against progressive social change, perhaps such a sledgehammer approach is what's needed to get the message across to those who have staunchly resisted it and used whatever means available to them to reinforce such an archaic view. To many, it might seem that films like this should no longer be necessary in this day and age, but the fact that it was made suggests the opposite and that there's yet more work to be done.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A religious feminist wants to break the patriarchal ceiling of the Macedonian Orthodox Church. The film, short on dialogue, long on symbolism, succeeds to a point.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

Full Review

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Teona Strugar Mitevska

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Synopsis

In Stip, a small town in Macedonia, every January the local priest throws a wooden cross into the river and hundreds of men dive after it. Good fortune and prosperity are guaranteed to the man who retrieves it. This time, Petrunya dives into the water on a whim and manages to grab the cross before the others. Her competitors are furious -- how dare a woman take part in their ritual? All hell breaks loose, but Petrunya holds her ground. She won her cross and will not give it up.

Director: Teona Strugar Mitevska
Producer: Marie Dubas, Labina Mitevska, Sébastien Delloye
Screenwriter: Elma Tataragic, Teona Strugar Mitevska
Distributor: 1844 Entertainment
Production Co: Vertigo, Sister and Brother Mitevski, Entre Chien et Loup
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Macedonian
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 25, 2021, Limited
Runtime: 1h 40m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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