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Sworn Virgin

Play trailer Poster for Sworn Virgin 2016 1h 27m Drama LGBTQ+ Play Trailer Watchlist
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71% Tomatometer 17 Reviews 52% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
After posing as a man for 14 years, a woman (Alba Rohrwacher) travels from Albania to Italy to reconnect with her estranged sister (Flonja Kodheli) and reclaim her sexual identity.

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Sworn Virgin

Critics Reviews

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Justin Chang Los Angeles Times 04/28/2016
Skipping deftly between time frames while keeping her camera close to her protagonist - played with tremulous understatement by the remarkable actress Alba Rohrwacher - Bispuri traces a journey of delicate interior shifts and reversals. Go to Full Review
Joshua Rothkopf Time Out 04/22/2016
4/5
Even though Rohrwacher never quite passes -- she looks too much like Barbra Streisand's Yentl -- the movie is on to a larger point, namely about the fluidity of sexual identity and our universal penchant for self-reinvention Go to Full Review
Godfrey Cheshire RogerEbert.com 04/22/2016
2/4
The film obliges viewers to puzzle out the nature of the sworn virgin tradition, and even at the tale's end, it may not be clear. This can only be counted a virtue by those who count obscurity and bafflement as artistic assets. Go to Full Review
Nathanael Hood Screen Comment 12/27/2018
4/10
...it nevertheless deflates Hana's journey of emotional weight. Go to Full Review
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat Spirituality & Practice 07/22/2016
3.5/5
A slow-moving and meditative drama about a young Albanian woman's transgender journey living as a man. Go to Full Review
Michael Snydel The Film Stage 04/25/2016
B+
Bispuri's feature debut makes a powerful statement about the suffocation that can come with gender norms, and about the double-edged sword of gender performance. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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07/16/2016 When a woman can't be a woman. See more 07/06/2016 cinegeek.de Eine verschneite Berglandschaft wie aus einer Zeit, bevor es so etwas wie Industrialisierung gab. Ein Fährboot bringt die junge Frau aus dem Gebirge in eine andere Welt. Sie klingelt an der Tür einer Etagenwohnung, offenbahr unangemeldet. Die Angereiste, die sich "Mark" nennt, wird wenig freudig aufgenommen und tut auch nichts dafür, das Verhältnis zu entspannen. Wir lernen durch Rückblenden, dass wir es mit Adoptivschwestern zu tun haben, die während der Kindheit sehr verbunden waren, sich aber dann voneinander entfremdeten. Beide entstammen aus einer archaischen Welt, in welcher der Vater der Braut dem Bräutigam ein Gewehr zur Hochzeit schenkt (falls sie nicht spurt). Lila flüchtete aus dieser Welt, aus Albanien, nach Italien. Hana/Mark, noch ledig, übernahm nach altem Brauch selbst die Männerrolle. Mark hat jetzt sein eigenes Gewehr und lebt wie im Zölibat. Die italienische Regisseurin Laura Bispuri hat sich mit ihrem Debüt dieser fremden Welt angenommen. Die Geschichte reicht von der Kindheit bis zur Wiederannäherung, wobei der Kontrast des kargen Lebens in der Wildnis und der sterilen Einkaufszentren der "Zivilisation" überdeutlich gezeichnet wird. Am reizvollsten ist Marks Entwicklung aus verinnerlichten Zwängen heraus zur persönlichen Freiheit. Mark wird gespielt von Alba Rohrbacher, die eine der tollsten Schauspielerinnen Italiens ist! Zum Glück mündet ihre spröde Schönheit am Ende nicht in Dekoltee und Pfennigabsätzen! Ein kleiner Arthaus Film zum Entdecken! See more 10/18/2015 Beautifully made and deeply touching film. See more 10/17/2015 I saw this at the 2015 London Film Festival. An amazing movie, unique. Was privileged to have Laura Bispuri at the screening, the Q and Q with her was fascinating. See more 10/05/2015 I found the film original and poetic, though, due to it's commitment to cultural authenticity, it was occasionally difficult to follow. Still, visually it was compelling, and the acting was superb. Now that I've understood the cultural context, I would say that it's a serious, original, and beautiful film. See more Read all reviews
Sworn Virgin

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Movie Info

Synopsis After posing as a man for 14 years, a woman (Alba Rohrwacher) travels from Albania to Italy to reconnect with her estranged sister (Flonja Kodheli) and reclaim her sexual identity.
Director
Laura Bispuri
Producer
Marta Donzelli, Gregorio Paonessa, Marizio Totti, Alessandro Ussai, Dan Wechsler, Michael Weber, Viola Fügen, Sabina Kodra, Robert Budina
Screenwriter
Laura Bispuri, Francesca Manieri
Distributor
Strand Releasing
Production Co
RAI Cinema, Colorado Film
Genre
Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language
Albanian
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 22, 2016, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 12, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$4.6K
Runtime
1h 27m
Sound Mix
Dolby
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