Luna Carmoon’s feature debut is an intense and unusual drama, quite unlike anything else you might see this year, which announces a bold and visionary new talent in British cinema. Young Maria (Lily-Beau Leach) lives with her eccentric mother (Hayley Squires) in a home full of love and rising piles of rubbish. Their small world feels magical until they are tragically separated. Now grown up, Maria (Saura Lightfoot Leon) tries to re-connect with the memory of her mother in unusual ways, a process that dramatically escalates when she forms an intense and primal bond with an older man (Joseph Quinn).

The winner of three awards at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, including the much-deserved prize for most innovative film, Carmoon’s unconventional and visceral coming-of-age tale is an intense sensory experience that tackles grief, trauma and burgeoning sexuality. Exceptional performances from newcomer Saura Lightfoot Leon and Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things) bolster the credibility of this haunting film, which cements Luna Carmoon’s position as a filmmaker to watch.