LITTLE MARY, ALWAYS A VIRGIN

16-year-old Marysia tries to sell her virginity online. She arranges meetings with various men, thinking she can control the situation. However, she’s not able to predict everything – most importantly, her own emotions.

Marysia lives in a village with her mum and half-sister Julka. After posting photos online, she receives messages from men and considers selling her virginity. Her bond with Mateusz, Julka’s uncle and her childhood friend, becomes complicated. Though Mateusz has a pregnant girlfriend, Marysia feels close to him. She meets several men and chooses one, but flees when he, a doctor, wants to examine her. Ultimately, she decides to have her first time with Mateusz. Their intimacy reveals a deep connection, and for Marysia, it's the start of making her own - wise or foolish - choices.

Director's note

“Little Mary, Always a Virgin” references, to some extent, my previous film“Wild Roses” – the parallels emerged spontaneously and intuitively. The life of the main character is a non-literal continuation of the life of the protagonist’s daughter in “Wild Roses,” as well as the world depicted there. I would like to revisit these characters in the future, creating something like a triptych that will portray their fates in a broader aspect and allow us to observe the changes that occur over time.
The main character, Marysia, is rebellious and independent. Entering adulthood seems obvious and safe to her; she feels a sense of control over her reality. She believes she’s able to choose her own path and get where she wants to be without paying any price, just assuming that everything will go to plan. She doesn’t want to live like her mother, who, in her opinion, wasted her life by passively waiting for whatever fate would bring, and clinging to different men. Marysia wants to take matters into her own hands. However, the path to adulthood isn’t as easy as she thinks, and her plans will not unfold in the perfect way that she has imagined.
The film will be a classic coming-of-age story to some extent, depicting the protagonist’s life at a pivotal moment when a child’s perspective blends with the logic of adulthood. I want to capture this duality by showing the bittersweet reality surrounding the main character and touching on the unique perspective of a teenager. I don’t want this story to be a dark tale; I aim to show the bright moments in the protagonist’s life as well, who perceives the world very differently from adults. For teenagers, the world is infinite and full of possibilities, time is eternal, and the surrounding situations are perceived fully, without cynicism and irony.
The relationship between Marysia and her younger sister is also crucial to me. The little girl both admires her big sister, as well as pours some of her biggest frustrations onto her, especially when Marysia strips away her naïve outlook on life and reveals the harsh truth. Marysia, on the other hand, can see herself in her younger sister like a mirror; she’s annoyed by her childlike wonder, but at the same time, envies her courage to speak the truth and expose herself to ridicule.
It’s important to me how these three characters perceive their own gender – what they see as a privilege, and what becomes burdensome about being a woman. Through these three women, I want to show how these faces of femininity change from generation to generation. Losing virginity is a pivotal moment in the life of a young woman, burdened with many stereotypes in our culture and enclosed within double moral standards. On the one hand, it’s a taboo topic in society, while on the other, the internet is brimming with brutal examples and graphic descriptions of this event. How does a teenage girl navigate this paradox? How do contemporary teens approach this moment in life? Do they just want to get it over with, or do they give it significance? However, what’s most important for me is how Marysia prepares for and thinks about this moment in her life and whether her assumptions conflict with what she truly feels.
Some of the films that are similar in various aspects to the way I want to tell Marysia’s story include two films by Andrea Arnold, “Fish Tank” and “American Honey,” where the focus is on a teenage protagonist who has the courage to face reality. Particularly the visual side of “American Honey” speaks to me, as it allows for an intimate connection with the protagonist and gives a sense of almost documentary authenticity to the events. These are also important aspects for me in this project. Another film that similarly touches on reality is the Dardenne brothers’ “Rosetta.” The protagonist’s brutal struggles with reality and her multifaceted presence on screen make following her fate almost physically palpable. I also aim to create a complex character who remains somewhat of a mystery to herself and is unprepared for what reality brings her.
Another movie that I’m somewhat inspired by is “Licorice Pizza” by P. T.  Anderson, which shows all the struggles of growing up in a positive light. I want the same kind of joy and the wholehearted, total way of experiencing ups and downs, to be present in my story. I want Marysia to have moments of absolute happiness and being fully present in the here and now, and to be able to draw strength from those moments.
My story also draws inspiration from the works of a young Irish author, Sally Rooney, including one of her novels, “Normal People,” which was adapted into a series. Rooney has a unique and engaging way of describing seemingly mundane, simple stories of contemporary teenagers. A certain sense of unfulfilment and the impossibility of being fully understood in a relationship, the ambivalence of emotions, and being able to see the perspective of each character make you emotionally immersed in the relationship between them.

Screenwiter's note

Subjects:
coming of age, sexuality, interpersonal relationships, familial relationships, youth, child parent relationships