The introverted high-school girl Masha sees herself as an outsider unless she hangs around with Yana and Senia, who share her non-conformist status. While she is trying to navigate through an intense time of the pre-graduation year, Masha falls in love in a way that forces her out of her comfort zone.

Capturing the essence of Ukrainian youth, the debut film by Kateryna Gornostai offers an intimate portrayal of their experiences: navigating first love, pondering life after school, facing friendship dramas, and negotiating relationships with parents.

Stop-Zemlia delves into the challenges of wanting to understand oneself in one’s own terms. It deals with topics like depression and bullying, and reflects the complex emotions and struggles of adolescence. Produced before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the film provides a bittersweet glimpse into growing up in times of uncertainty.

Content notes: Self-harm, use of homophobic language