Cheltenham International Film Festival
The Ninth Step - part of the Cheltenham International Film Festival
This screening forms part of Cheltenham International Film Festival, which marks its 5th anniversary in 2023. The festival will screen new films from around the world, plus film classics and is adding television, and new live events to its programme, along with guest celebrities.
Linas gets custody of his teenage daughter, but her rebellious best friend also has designs on him
Linas is a recovering alcoholic whose life takes a turn when he unexpectedly gets custody of his estranged seventeen-year-old daughter. As they adjust to life under the same roof, Leva’s rebellious best friend Maja begins to spend more and more time at their home, putting an additional strain on the father daughter relationship. As a growing attraction between the flirtatious Maja and the quietly charismatic Linas develops, it creates a dangerous dynamic that could derail all the work Linas has done.
Focusing on the “recovering” rather than the “alcoholic” and the AA’s final “Ninth Step”- to repair damage caused to other people – this well written and performed domestic drama handles it’s moral quandaries well and is equally perceptive in it’s portrayal of teenage friendship and obsession.