This gritty loss-of-innocence story from Poland peppers a bleak storyline with black humour and sudden moments of pathos.

Tereska (Aleksandra Gietner), a shy 15-year-old dreams of escaping her existence in a grim Warsaw tenement block with her factory-worker mother and alcoholic father by becoming a fashion designer. Altough talented, when she enters a tailor's training program her life starts to spiral downwards. Under the influence of the rebellious Renata (Karolina Sobczak), Tereska starts to stay out late drinking, eating frozen pizza, smoking and teasing a group of horny adolescent boys off the estate. Meanwhile, Tereska's father's heavy drinking creates tensions at home.

Director Robert Glinski draws memorable performances from his young cast, in particular the two teenage girls (both plucked from reform school) and the wheelchair-bound guard (Zbigniew Zamachowski) whose initially fun friendship with the young Tereska becomes more unsettling as he reveals hidden depths of desperation.

Glinski, who shot on black-and-white digital video blown up to 35mm, maintains a cool distance. His style is to reserve judgement, but remain uncompromisingly honest. The effect is a powerful tale of childhood alienation.