''Sworn Virgin'' (, ) is a 2015 internationally co-produced

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Laura Bispuri Laura Bispuri (Rome, August 20, 1977) is an Italian film director and screenwriter. Her career ranges from two films in competition at the Berlinale, to one in the official Orizzonti competition at the Venice Film Festival, to directing the fourth ...

. It was screened in the main competition section of the

65th Berlin International Film Festival The 65th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 5 to 15 February 2015, with American film director Darren Aronofsky as the president of the jury. German film director Wim Wenders was presented with the Honorary Golden Bear. The ...

Plot

Hana Doda, still a girl, escapes from her destiny of being a wife and a servant, a future imposed on women in the harsh mountains of Albania. Following his uncle's guide, she appeals to the old law of the Kanun, which gives women, taking an oath of eternal virginity, the chance to embrace a rifle and live free as men. For everybody Hana becomes Mark, a "sworn virgin". But something alive pulses and frets under these new clothes. Her choice becomes her prison and those immense mountains seem so narrow now. Mark decides to set out on journey, too long put off. She leaves her land and arrives in Italy, where a new journey begins; a continuous and subtle path, crossing the line of two far away and different worlds: Albania and Italy, past and present, masculine and feminine. Slowly Mark discovers her body again. She experiences the vertigo of touching other bodies and she finds caring, loving people life had denied her. She opens up to an unexpected and prohibited love's chance. Mark rediscovers Hana, finally piecing back together the two souls that for years have lived inside her body. She is reborn as a new, free and complete creature.

Cast

Alba Rohrwacher Alba Caterina Rohrwacher (, ; born 27 February 1979) is an Italian-German actress. Early life Alba Rohrwacher was born in Florence to a German father and an Italian mother. From the age of 17 to 21 she studied medicine, intending to be a doctor ...

as Mark/Hana * Flonja Kodheli as Lila *

Lars Eidinger Lars Eidinger (; born ) is a German actor and rapper, based in Berlin. He has appeared in German and international film and television productions, including the 2020 film '' My Little Sister'', the German series '' Babylon Berlin'' (2017–2022) ...

as Bernhard * Luan Jaha as Stjefen * Bruno Shllaku as Gjergj * Ilire Vinca as Katrina * Drenica Selimaj as Little Hana * Emily Ferratello as Jonida

Reception

Italian Critical Response

The reception from Italian critics was very positive. According to Andrea Chimento from

Il Sole 24 Ore (; English: "The Sun 24 Hours") is the Italian financial newspaper of record, owned by Confindustria, the Italian employers' federation. is the leading financial daily in Italy. History and profile was first published on 9 November 1965 as ...

, the film is "an interesting reflection on sexuality and the desire to avoid any form of repression". Michele Faggi of the indie-eye.it magazine writes that it is "a silent and extremely tough excavation". Daniel Montignani on Paper Street writes that "

..prepares and outlines for Hana a slow, upward journey, shaping it with tireless and refined subtraction, even when she looks directly into the discomfort in the eyes and in the weakest and most suffering expressions of the protagonist." Davide Turrini from

Il Fatto Quotidiano (English: "The Daily Fact") is an Italian daily newspaper owned by Editoriale Il Fatto S.p.A. and published in Rome. It was founded on 23 September 2009 and was edited by until 2015, when Marco Travaglio became the editor. The three deputy edi ...

and Aldo Spiniello on Sentieri Selvaggi recognize in this debut work the influence of the Dardenne brothers, especially in the "autonomous and stubborn direction with a handheld camera obstinately following behind the protagonist's shoulders" that "captures the fears, uncertainties, hopes, and emotions, focusing solely on movements, gestures, and external attitudes" of "a tough

". It is precisely "the astonishing performance of

"that is "the film's strength," says Paolo Mereghetti in

Corriere della Sera (; ) is an Italian daily newspaper published in Milan with an average circulation of 246,278 copies in May 2023. First published on 5 March 1876, is one of Italy's oldest newspapers and is Italy's most read newspaper. Its masthead has remain ...

. The actress is "absolutely believable in her transformation from woman to man. ..Her new 'gender' is visible in her face, her eyes, her voice, as if she had truly changed her soul deeply."

Goffredo Fofi Goffredo Fofi (15 April 1937 – 11 July 2025) was an Italian essayist, activist, journalist and film, literary and theatre critic. Life and career Fofi was born on 15 April 1937 in Gubbio. In 1955 he relocated to Palermo, being drawn to the c ...

in ''Internazionale'' called the film "a hope for the Italian cinema."

International Critical Response

''Sworn Virgin'' has an approval rating of 71% on

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website

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, based on 17 reviews, and an average rating of 7.2/10.

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

assigned the film a weighted average score of 70 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Laura Bispuri's film premiered at the 2015

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...

as the only Italian film in competition. The film received a very warm reception from both the audience and international critics present at the festival. Deborah Young for

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

spoke of the film in highly positive terms, calling it "an excellent debut. Bispuri has a remarkable talent for portraying physicality on screen." Guy Lodge in

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

writes: "A sensitive, deliberate debut feature," praising Alba Rohrwacher's performance, "who supports the duality of the character, portraying Hana-Mark with great skill. A figure who never feels comfortable in their own skin." Jessica Kiang on IndieWire writes: "In her impressive debut feature, writer/director Bispuri uses this unusual, specific tradition to investigate much broader issues of gender identity, self-image and cultural indoctrination, while also delivering a touching personal portrait of tentative liberation."

Awards and nominations

* 2015 -

David di Donatello The David di Donatello Awards, named after Donatello's ''David (Donatello, bronze), David'', a symbolic statue of the Italian Renaissance, are film awards given out each year by the ''Accademia del Cinema Italiano'' (the Academy of Italian Cin ...

** Nomination to ''Best Emerging Director Award to''

** Nomination to ''Best Actress'' to

** Nomination to Best Photography to Vladan Radovic * 2015 -

Globo D'Oro The Globo d'oro (internationally known as Italian Golden Globe) is an Italian annual film award. It was founded in 1959 by the Foreign Press Association in Italy. The Globo d'oro Awards for Italian cinema are given by the Foreign Press. The fi ...

** Best First Feature Film to

* 2015 -

** Nomination to the ''

Golden Bear The Golden Bear () is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival and is, along with the Palme d'Or and the Golden Lion, the most important international film festival award. The bear is the heraldic an ...

'' to

** Nomination for ''Best First Feature Award'' to Laura Bispuri ** Nomination to the Teddy Award to Laura Bispuri * 2015 -

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Enterprises. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. The festival ...

** '' Nora Ephron Prize'' to Laura Bispuri * 2015 -

San Francisco International Film Festival The San Francisco International Film Festival (abbreviated as SFIFF), organized by SFFILM, is held each spring for two weeks, presenting around 200 films from over 50 countries. The festival highlights current trends in international film and vid ...

** ''New Director Prize'' to Laura Bispuri ** ''Golden Gate Award'' to Laura Bispuri * 2015 -

AFI Fest The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Lead ...

** Nomination to ''New Auteurs Award'' to

*2015 - Off Camera International Festival of Independent Cinema (Kracow) **''FIPRESCI Jury Award'' to

*2015 - Hong Kong International Film Festival **''Golden Firebird Award'' to

**Nomination to ''FIPRESCI Prize'' to Laura Bispuri *2015 -

Haifa International Film Festival The Haifa International Film Festival () is an annual film festival that takes place every autumn (between late September and late October), during the week-long holiday of Sukkot, in Haifa, Israel. History The festival was inaugurated in 1983 an ...

**Nomination for ''Best International Film'' to

*2015 - Mezipatra Queer Film Festival **''Gran Jury Prize'' to

*2015 - Molodist Kyiv International Film Festival **''Best LGBTQ Film'' to

*2015 - First Youth Firm Festival **''Gran Jury Prize - Feature Film'' to

*2015 - 20th Forum of European Cinema ORLEN Cinergia (Poland) **''Cristal Boat Award for Best European First Feature'' to

*2015 - Festival International du Film de Femmes de Salé **''Jury Prize'' to

*2015 - Alexandria Mediterranean Countries Film Festival **''Best Film Prize'' to

*2015 - Bobbio Film Festival **''Emerging Youth Award'' to

*2015 - Dolly D'Oro Giuseppe De Santis **''Dolly D'Oro Giuseppe De Santis'' to

*2015 - Ortigia Film Festival **''Audience Prize'' to

**''Best Film'' to

External links

Trailer: Sworn Virgin

Sworn Virgin Pressbook
* * *

References

Additional reading

The last of Albania's 'sworn virgins'
- story about real Albanian Sworn Virgins {{DEFAULTSORT:Sworn Virgin 2015 films 2015 drama films 2015 LGBTQ-related films 2015 directorial debut films 2010s LGBTQ-related drama films German drama films Italian drama films Swiss drama films Kosovan drama films 2010s Italian-language films Italian LGBTQ-related films Albanian drama films 2010s German films Kosovan LGBTQ-related films German LGBTQ-related films Swiss LGBTQ-related films Vivo Film films Albanian-language films Italian-language drama films