Nina (Julia Kijowska, United States of Love), a married French teacher in her thirties, is trying desperately to save her marriage and to realize her dream of having children with the aid of a pregnancy surrogate. Multiple failed attempts have left her disillusioned and at a breaking point, when a traffic accident brings Magda (Eliza Rycembel, The Innocents) into her life. Magda, a young, out lesbian with a penchant for both straight women and no-strings-attached sexual conquests, catches the eye of Nina’s husband, Wojtek, as a possible solution to their pregnancy problem.

While Wojtek fails in catching Magda’s eye, his attempts to engage her as a surrogate create an unanticipated result — Nina also becomes ensnared by thoughts of Magda. As her thoughts shift from surrogacy to a more intimate curiosity, Nina’s intensifying focus on Magda embroils all three in an increasingly fraught tangle of self-discovery and desire. When their situation comes to a head, each must decide who they will be in the future and what they will leave behind — and at what cost.

Imbued with a dark intensity, Nina is a riveting and bold first feature from director Olga Chajdas. Depictions of Warsaw’s lesbian community are shown alongside broader themes of societal acceptance and religious conservatism, adding complexity to the story’s focus on the kindling and killing of love and desire.