The Friuli-Venezia Giulia region in the north-east of Italy in the year 1900 is a place still rooted in enchantment and superstition, coexisting with the heady influence of Catholicism. Pregnant for the first time, Agata (Celeste Cescutti) performs a ritual blood-letting into the tidal water that surrounds and nurtures her seaside village community, in the belief that it will protect her from misfortune. But tragedy strikes anyway, and Agata’s child is stillborn. Against the wishes of her husband, Agata sets out on a journey cross country in the hope that she can save her child’s soul from purgatory.

With its colour palette of mossy greens, terracotta and earth tones, and its matter-of-fact approach to themes of folklore and mysticism, this gorgeous first feature from Italian director Laura Samani is as enchanting as it is unusual. There’s a kinship, perhaps, with the work of Samani’s compatriot Alice Rohrwacher (Happy as Lazzaro, The Wonders), but Samani’s voice is distinctive and individual.