Lux Noctis (2020)

AFI Thesis

In a post-apocalyptic matriarchal community, darkness is dangerous and women have the ability to create light as protection. When they come of age, the girls go through a rite of passage where they must summon their light to survive the darkness.

The ritual of preparing Lina for her trial begins. She is shadowed by the younger girl, Mara, but her grief for losing Viola, the girl she shadowed, prevents her from relating to Mara, her mother, and the rest of the women of the isolated community.

In this world where feelings are to be hidden and buried away, Mara's act of compassion pushes Lina to overcome herself, ultimately saving both their lives by creating an unprecedented amount of light.