Paradise Is Burning (Paradiset Brinner)

Thrumming with the rough-and-tumble spirit of youth in rebellion, director Mika Gustafson’s film captures the turbulence of growing up without a safety net among the margins of working-class Sweden. Scraping by with ingenuity, sisters Laura (sixteen), Mira (twelve), and Steffi (seven) look after themselves in a council house with no guardian in sight. When social services comes knocking, Laura must find an adult willing to impersonate their mother to keep her family together. Her journey ignites a spark of self-discovery as the wild rituals of adolescence give way to the rush of a first crush.

Filmed with freewheeling sensitivity that recalls the electric aesthetics of Andrea Arnold, Gustafson’s feature debut weighs the anarchic highs and lows of the sisters’ loving but precarious way of life. Racking up an impressive festival resume from Venice to London, this filmmaker on the rise demands your attention.