In a deserted Serb village not far from the Adriatic Sea – it is the nineteenth century – the superstition exists that families without male successors are cursed. When the wife of a poor peasant bears a third daughter, the peasant tells his neighbours it’s a boy. The child, called Stevan, is then brought up as a boy, but her sisters challenge their father by calling her Virgina, which means ‘girl playing a boy’. Stevan does everything to convince everyone that she is a boy. She keeps things under control as long as the only feelings of tenderness she has are from her mother, sisters and grandfather. But as she grows up, Stevan finds out that she is not an ordinary boy. The film takes a dramatic turn when Stevan’s mother bears a fourth daughter.Karanovic tells his gripping tale with the minimum of dialogue and a maximum of narrative, focusing on the beautiful surroundings and available light. The girl who plays the lead, Marta Keler, received a Felix for her role. Virgina was given a Golden Palm at the Valencia festival.
