Paradiset brinner

Swedish director Mika Gustafson’s PARADISE IS BURNING follows three sisters – Laura (16), Mira (12), and Steffi (6) – as they try to survive the messy rituals of adolescence. After a call from social services threatens their independence, Laura forges a relationship with 30-year-old Hannah in hopes of her agreeing to pretend to be their mother. As the two grow closer, Mira and Steffi are left to handle their own growing pains. An intimate portrait of the transition from girlhood to womanhood backlit by a blistering-hot summer break, PARADISE IS BURNING has the perfect balance of angsty teenage rebellion and tender vulnerability. (Maggie Kane, Toronto International Film Festival)