Marijana’s life revolves around her family, whether she likes it or not. They live on top of one another in a tiny apartment, driving one another crazy. Then her controlling father has a stroke and is left completely bedridden, and Marijana takes his place as head of the clan. Soon, she is working two jobs to keep everything afloat, while her mother and disabled brother do their best to scupper the ship. Driven to the edge, Marijana finds comfort in seedy sex with random strangers; and this taste of freedom leaves her wanting more. But now that she has finally found freedom, what’s she meant to do with it?
"The style of the film hovers between Rabelaisian grotesque and psychological realism – my characters are animalistic and quirky, but with emotional depth and real conflicts. On the one hand I have tried to avoid the pitfalls of a typical social melodrama; the story has a lot of dark humour and it is slightly twisted, but my characters are not flat caricatures, and I do not want the viewer to be emotionally detached from Marijana, nor for her family to resemble cartoon villains." (Hana Jušić)
Hana Jušić
Born in 1983 in Šibenik, Croatia, Jušić obtained a degree in film- and TV directing at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Zagreb. She also graduated in comparative literature and English language. She has written and directed several short films and documentaries which have screened at international festivals. Quit Staring at My Plate is her feature-film debut.