In another world, the rebellious title character from “God Exists, Her Name Is Petrunya” could have been a satisfied free spirit in a John Waters film. But Petrunya lives in the conservative town of Stip in Macedonia and seems to be stalled by patriarchal rules and maternal interference. That begins to change when she crashes an all-male Orthodox ceremony – every year a priest throws a cross into a river and men try to grab it – and accepts the award.
Many city dwellers have a stip attack over Petrunya’s performance, and at the behest of indignant priests, the police pursue and arrest them. Petrunya (Zorica Nusheva, with flashing frustration on the verge of escapades) confronts the situation by defying intimidation and condescension. It wasn’t always like this: she starts the film firmly in bed, an unemployed historian around 30 who lives with her mother.
The director Teona Strugar Mitevska takes up current events for this cheerful occupation and resistance story. The independent streak was clearly present in Petrunya: we saw her fend off a shabby boss of a clothing factory and walk away with a mannequin that she lugged around, which felt like a natural punk. Mitevska and camerawoman Virginie Saint Martin give Petrunya’s outside world even more unusual flair and eye-catching patterns.
But the stalemate with the authorities dawdles and languishes, and a side plot with a TV journalist (Labina Mitevska) feels unanimous. Still, we should all be excited to see what Petrunya will do next.
God exists, her name is Petrunya
Not rated. In Macedonian, with subtitles. Running time: 1 hour 40 minutes. In theaters and virtual cinemas.
