3/4

Teenage Mila strives to become a great pianist. Through her practice sessions, we become aware of her family and the complicated relationships between her friends. Mila struggles with her lack of confidence in her musical talent, while her little brother faces aggression characteristic of early adolescence. Their father is preoccupied with the future of his physics research and it seems as though he does not notice them at all. Ilian Metev’s film is a small and reserved drama that won the Best Debut Prize at Locarno FF and has gone on to become a festival favorite. Metev demonstrates exemplary command of the cinematic medium and renders present the mother’s—the fourth quarter—palpable absence.