Behind the Lens: 'Girl In The Night' Lets The Misfits Take Over Fantastic Fest 2026
- Charles Luberisse
- 7 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Boredom, petty theft, and a mysterious girl who claims to have superpowers make for a strange way to find friendship. Slovenian filmmaker Luka Marčetić brings exactly that combination to Girl In The Night, a deadpan story about two outsiders finding each other under increasingly unusual circumstances.
Making its world premiere in the main competition at Fantastic Fest on September 20, the film follows Rok (Urban Kuntarič), a lonely kleptomaniac whose night shifts at a gas station have become an exercise in monotony. Stealing chocolate bars gives him something to do—until a bruised and mysterious young woman (Lara Wolf) enters his life, spends her nights fighting crime, and claims she possesses superpowers.
A Stolen Bike Opens the Door
Rok isn't exactly a traditional hero, and the mysterious girl isn't waiting around to become his savior. When their first encounter leaves him wanting to see her again, Rok devises an appropriately questionable plan: steal her bicycle. What begins as another act of petty theft suddenly gives his otherwise aimless existence somewhere to go.
That unconventional connection allows Girl In The Night to explore loneliness without losing its peculiar sense of humor. For Marčetić, placing quiet and often overlooked people at the center of the story was essential to creating the film's vulnerable heroes and antiheroes. Reflecting on the personalities that inspired the film, the writer-director shared:
I am deeply interested in people who are mostly quiet, shy, and to a point enjoy solitary existence. These people often go unnoticed in everyday life, yet they possess a unique strength in their quietness. I always wanted to put them in roles of vulnerable heroes and antiheroes. This is a story about boredom and the search for friendship in very strange circumstances.
That final thought may be the best way to understand 'Girl In The Night.' Beneath the crime fighting, stolen chocolate, bruises, and questionable bicycle decisions is something much more recognizable: two people trying to break through isolation and make their lives feel a little less empty.
Slovenian Misfits Head To Fantastic Fest
Produced by Jerca Jerič and Andraž Jerič of Temporama, 'Girl In The Night' continues Marčetić's work following projects including Day of Love, Paired Up, At Hostar, and At Hostar 2‰. Behind the camera, Lev Predan Kowarski serves as director of photography following his Best Cinematography win at the Tribeca Film Festival, while Primož Hladnik and Boris Benko of Duo Silence compose the film's music.
Fantastic Fest feels like a fitting first stop for a film that refuses to make its outsiders conventional. 'Girl In The Night' may flirt with superheroes and nighttime vigilantism, but its real curiosity lies with the people usually left standing outside the spotlight—and the strange things they might do just to feel connected.
'Girl In The Night' makes its world premiere September 20 at Fantastic Fest 2026 at the Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar in Austin, Texas.
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