Much of Romanian director Ruxandra Zenide's debut Ryna plays out like a grungy documentary about the hard life of blue-collar workers in the rough-and-tumble town on the Danube delta – featuring a sterling performance by Doroteea Petre as the titular character, it's a film that builds slowly, allowing viewers time to contemplate Zenide's measured compositions.

Daughter to a mostly dysfunctional but close family, Ryna is a no-fuss tomboy, forced to wear overalls and cut her hair in a distinctly masculine style, who's nevertheless maturing into a strikingly beautiful young woman, much to her stern father's (Valentin Popescu) chagrin. Despite spending her days pumping gas and slaving away as a mechanic, Ryna still has time for her true passion – photography – and even starting a timid romance with a local boy. Soon, a visiting French university student arrives in Ryna's village, who becomes smitten by the dark beauty. Despite her father's best efforts, Ryna soon finds herself the object of several men's affection, building to a tragic climax that forces Ryna to make a life-altering decision.

Zenide, working from a screenplay by Marek Epstein, infuses the narrative with a defiant, patently feminine spirit, greatly assisted by Petre's exceptional turn as the feisty, willful Ryna – a beautiful bird in a filthy cage, Ryna is a film about finding the courage to accept yourself, no matter what the outcome.

The Video:

Ryna doesn't look the greatest here: a smeary, grainy and noisy 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer makes watching Zenide's film more of a chore than it should be. It doesn't appear to be a PAL-to-NTSC transfer, but this is one sub-par image.

Unimpressive but solid, the Dolby 2.0 stereo soundtrack gets the job done, conveying dialogue (in the native Romanian and French) clearly and without distortion. Optional English subtitles are also included.

The film's theatrical trailer is the lone bonus feature.

Ryna is a handsomely mounted film, one that gets a lot of mileage from grimy European locations; director Ruxandra Zenide's debut film works slowly, but Doroteea Petre's absorbing turn as the titular character will hook you. Rent it.