This film is part of Rentals

Blush
An assured and authentic lesbian coming-of-age drama, boasting a mesmerising and heartfelt lead performance.
Director: Michal Vinik
Overview
Like all teenagers her age, Barash wants to hang out with her friends, drink alcohol, score some drugs and generally have a good time. She doesn’t want to worry about her unravelling home life, with her parents’ never ending arguments and a sister who has gone AWOL from the army again. Barash just wants to have some fun.
When new girl Dana arrives at school, brimming with a cocky demeanour and oh-so-cool attitude, Barash can’t help falling in love for the first time. And all the joy and pain of doing so is beautifully laid bare in Michal Vinik’s assured and authentic debut, which was an audience hit at the BFI Flare festival 2015, where it played under its international title, Barash. Artfully shot and crisply edited, it presents the lesbian coming-of-age story from a fresh perspective, drawing out a mesmerising and heartfelt performance by Shimon in the lead role.
Related

Driving Mum Driving Mum
Comedy 2022 113 mins Director: Hilmar Oddsson
Jon drives his mums corpse across Iceland in Hilmar Oddsson’s darkly comic odyssey of self-discovery and acceptance, beautifully filmed in crisp black and white.

Barrio Boy Barrio Boy
Romance 2022 83 mins Director: Dennis Shinners
A Latino barber embarks on an erotically charged odyssey of self-discovery over one hot summer in Brooklyn.

Small Things Like These Small Things Like These
Drama 2024 99 mins Director: Tim Mielants
Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy delivers a stunning performance as a coal merchant who discovers horrific secrets about his local convent.

Rafiki Rafiki
Drama 2018 83 mins Director: Wanuri Kahiu
Romantic sparks fly between the daughters of two opposing politicians in Wanuri Kahiu’s neon-bright story of forbidden love in Kenya.

Only the River Flows Only the River Flows
Crime 2023 102 mins Director: Shujun Wei
Shujun Wei's slow-burn noir draws us inexorably into its mysterious psychological journey.

The Critic The Critic
Thriller 2023 101 mins Director: Anand Tucker
Ian McKellen is in delicious form as London's most vicious critic, who strikes a Faustian pact with a struggling actor (Gemma Arterton).

Sing Street Sing Street
Drama 2016 106 mins Director: John Carney
The third in John Carney’s trilogy of musical films is the utterly charming story a boy who escapes his troubles through fronting a pop band.

Giant Little Ones Giant Little Ones
Drama 2018 93 mins Director: Keith Behrman
The classic high-school coming-out story gets a smart revision in this sharply perceptive teen drama.

Murina Murina
Drama 2021 96 mins Director: Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic
Tensions rise between restless teenager Julija and her oppressive father Ante when an old family friend arrives at their Croatian island home.

The Swimmer The Swimmer
Drama 2021 84 mins Director: Adam Kalderon
An elite swimmer competing for a place on the Olympic team encounters intense rivalry and lust during training.

Futura Futura
Documentary 2021 108 mins Director: Pietro Marcello, Francesco Munzi and Alice Rohrwacher
A documentary about the future, through the eyes of Italy’s youth – collectively written and directed by Pietro Marcello (Martin Eden), Francesco Munzi (Black Souls) and Alice Rohrwacher (Happy as Lazzaro).

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
Drama 2023 106 mins Director: Kelly Fremon Craig
This timeless coming-of-age story, lovingly adapted from Judy Blume’s classic novel, is a humorous, insightful and candid exploration of life’s biggest questions.

Dust & Metal Dust & Metal
Documentary 2022 82 mins Director: Esther Johnson
Discover unfamiliar histories of Vietnam through Esther Johnson’s poetic documentary on the country’s love affair with the motorbike.

Mogwai: If the Stars Had a Sound Mogwai: If the Stars Had a Sound
Documentary 2024 91 mins Director: Antony Crook
Celestial sonic odyssey charting the cult Scottish band’s expansive career from the mid-90s to their tenth studio album written during lockdown.

Flow Flow
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2024 85 mins Director: Gints Zilbalodis
Oscar-winning animated adventure about an unlikely group of animals who must work together to survive a natural disaster.

Invasion Invasion
Science Fiction 1966 79 mins Director: Alan Bridges
An alien fugitive, injured in a road accident, pitches up at a rural hospital. But when two intergallactic pursuers arrive, things start to heat up...

Twiggy Twiggy
Documentary 2024 94 mins Director: Sadie Frost
International supermodel, actor, singer and one of the most iconic British figures – this is the real story of Twiggy.

Ernest Cole: Lost and Found Ernest Cole: Lost and Found
Documentary 2024 107 mins Director: Raoul Peck
Raoul Peck’s sorrowful portrait of Ernest Cole, the first photographer to expose the horrors of apartheid to the world.