Special Report: Girl in the Night (2026)

Hold your ears, folks. It's showtime. People pay good money to see this movie. When they go out to a theater, they want cold sodas, hot popcorn and no monsters in the projection booth. Everyone pretend podcasting isn't boring.

Turn it off. Do you have any weapons? Wow. You can't fight a criminal alone. Let me help you.

Three, four, three, two, one. What's that? I was thinking about who to kill, so I picked a knife. Okay. Welcome to The Projection Booth.

I'm your host, Mike White. This episode, I'm talking with director Luka Marsetic and actress Lara Wolf about Girl in the Night, a Slovenian dark comedy about a man who befriends a woman who believes she's a superhero, shot almost entirely over 20 freezing nights. Girl in the Night Plays Fantastic Fest. I had a great time talking with Luca and Lara, and I hope you have a great time listening. Enjoy.

Luca, can you tell me a little bit about how you got involved in filmmaking? I wanted to be a filmmaker ever since I was born, literally, in the classroom. when our teacher asked us, what are you gonna be when you grow up? And I said, I wanted to be an actor because that's all I saw on screens and I didn't know like directors existed. So throughout time, I really learned about filmmaking and I lived in a VHS store where I rented the films, all of the films. I was number one, of people who rented films in that specific video store.

And ever since cameras appeared that you could buy yourself, and then YouTube came, I started working on my own stuff like sketches and YouTube videos, basically. And from there, I moved on to web series, and then to TV series, and then finally to feature films. And I didn't go to film school. Uh, I'm self-taught and, um, throughout all this experience, I learned, I learned things and how to be a filmmaker as well. When you were also an actor for a while too, correct?

Yes. And I still am. I still am. And there's a feature film coming out in Slovenia in just a couple of days where I'm also the, I am, I'm an actor in this film. So, yeah.

And Laura, what's your background? How did you, how did you get involved in acting? Actually, there is not a big story behind me about becoming an actress. But actually, I loved performing since I was little. I was preparing these shows, plays at home with my grandpa.

And yes, I loved performing since forever. But then, yes, then it somehow stayed with me. There was nothing else that I would... would like to do. Uh, and it stayed like this. And then I, uh, went to the Academy of Dramatic Arts here, uh, in Ljubljana and yes, that's how it happened.

And yes, then I, I, I am mostly playing in, uh, in, uh, theater. Um, and now for two years, uh, I, in two years, I, I started, uh, in the past two years, sorry, my English, I started, um, making movies also. And I, I very, I love it. Luka, where did the idea for this film come from? Actually, from just one sentence, which I guess was the logline at the time, which was a man meets a woman who thinks she's a superhero, but she really isn't.

So yeah, that was the sentence that started this all. Then I applied to a screenwriting workshop here in Slovenia, where I worked with a mentor and other participants, and it took me a while to find the story for this one sentence. One thing that I was certain of was the tone of the film that I wanted to do from the very beginning, because I'm a really huge, biggest fan of Napoleon Dynamite when it came out, and it really stayed with me for so long, and still is. And then Yorgos Lanthimos films came, and Riley Stern's films like Art of Self-Defense came, So there were these certain tonal films that really piqued my interest, and there weren't a lot of them. I just said to myself that I need to make one as well, because there are not a lot of films like that, and I really want to watch them some more.

I can definitely see those influences. I was thinking Aki Kora's Maki a little bit as well. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that too. Yeah, yeah, yeah, definitely. How did the story change as you kind of evolved it, and especially once the actors got on board?

At the very beginning, it was a totally different genre, actually. It was a romantic comedy, but after a while, I really hated the idea that if a man appears in the movie and a woman, they're all in love. And I was like, okay, we saw that in a million, millions and millions of films. What about, how about they just want to get along and be friends and He just likes her the way she is and what she does in her life. And she's an inspiration for him.

So I went into a completely different relationship here. I still think it's a bit of a romantic story, but not a love story. But the romance is in a completely different way. Lara, how did you approach this character as being the titular girl in the night? Yes, I found it interesting very quickly, actually, when I read the script first.

I like this combination of awkwardness and spookiness. But yes, it was quite challenging to find the right amount of expression, because there is Actually, none. So it was quite challenging to crack this code for acting here. Yes, I find her very sweet, actually. I like her.

I think she's very lovable inside. But even though she looks creepy. When I'm sure you had to get the makeup put on every single night with the head wound and everything. Yes. Yes.

I spent a lot of time with makeup artists. We had a lot of scars, actually. Yes. A lot of them. And I like the most this one with the knife.

In my mouth. Between the cheeks. Between the cheeks. Yes. This one was very intense.

Heavy to do. Yes. Hard to do. Sorry. How was it working with your co-star, especially with Brock?

Actually, I know Urban from before, from the Academy. He's one year older than me. But we haven't worked together since, till this movie. But actually, we became friends very, very, very fast. So, yes, it was easy working with him.

Yeah. It's a funny thing that he's a really extroverted and very out there guy. He laughs a lot. Yeah. He really had a hard time doing what he does in the film.

Lara was a bit different. She's introverted like me. So it was a lot easier. I'm trying to think if any of the film takes place in daylight. I mean, it feels like you were just shooting at night the entire time.

Is that true? Yeah, we had 27 days of filming and 20 days where we filmed at night in winter. So yeah, but seven of those days were filmed in the studio because we were filming all the time at night. We also filmed some days in the studio at night as well just to keep the mood that we had going. And it would be a lot different if we changed that throughout the filming.

Sorry, my English was also not so good. But yeah, it definitely helps for the movie itself as well, because we were totally hallucinating, we were zombified. and tired. And I think it's all visible in the film. And also the makeup helped as well. But it was a challenging production.

Yeah, totally. Yeah. Are there long nights in Estonia? Oh, sorry, it's Slovenia. During the wintertime?

It's in Slovenia, actually, which is in central Europe, right next to Italy and below Austria. It's different than in Scandinavia. But we filmed in winter just because the nights were the longest then. And we needed to... 12 hour long nights.

So we filmed from, I guess, I don't remember anymore, but from like seven or eight to eight in the mornings, seven or eight, yeah. But we were lucky because even though we were filming in winter, we never had freezing temperatures, only really cold temperatures. So our equipment was working all the time. And the crew wasn't freezing as they otherwise would. And also because the nights were really quiet and it's a quiet city, whatever you talk about or do, all the neighbors can hear you.

So we had to be quiet all the time and whisper to each other. So that was also challenging and tough to do for 12 hours straight while we're filming a movie. Yeah, I'm sure that the neighbors appreciated that. They did, yeah. They did.

Luka, have you ever had your bicycle stolen? So in this city, I don't think I know anyone or there is anyone that his bike wasn't or her stolen. So yeah, I had my bike stolen only once. I now have a bike, which I have for 10 plus years, I think. But Lara's bike was stolen recently. new and beautiful.

Yes red one new I had it I think for one week probably yes and and I had him locked of course but yeah it happens a lot in Ljubljana because we have this bicycle culture actually here uh there is a lot of bikes everyone has it uh and a lot of them are stolen yeah um. Tell me a little bit about the guys that play Rock's roommates. I love their relationship, and I love that relationship he has with them as well. Thank you for that. I really appreciate it, because I love them too, so, so much.

Sometimes I wish that there would be a movie just about them. But yeah, his roommate is someone I met on Instagram, and he's not an actor. He's a graphic designer, and I... I DMed him, invited him to an audition, and he was really, really good at it. And the other guy is an actor, but he's also not as experienced in films like Lara as well.

I think it's also his first film. I don't really know. But yeah, yeah, yeah. So all of the actors, except the older actors, are really somewhat new to this, except Urban, who plays Rock. He has more experience.

He already did a couple of films and TV shows, but he was never in the main role, just as a smaller role. You really emphasized the height difference between the two characters. And I'm curious, I don't want to get too personal, Lara, but was that trickery? Or are you really that small? Or is Urban really that tall?

Yes. Yes, yes, it was. I had this problem because I wanted to look at him like I'm dangerous, right? As a character. And I wanted to do this look with my eyes that he would be scared of me.

But If he's so much higher than me, it is a bit harder to do, if you ask me. Because you very quickly got this puppy eyes look, which is not the one we wanted. So yeah, it was quite challenging. But I think we made it. Yeah.

We had to, when we were doing your shots, we always had to tell her, like look more up, just a bit more, just a bit more. And we were talking about like really, really, really small movements. So yeah, it was a really difference of one inch if she has puppy eyes or scary eyes. It's a lot in the eyes. It's a lot in the eyes in this movie, I think.

Yeah, and also we were really doing a lot with blinking because we were trying so hard not to blink. didn't work every time so we went as far as uh removing some blinks uh in post-production as well yeah yeah. That's amazing i was wondering if there are many special effects especially around some of the bike crashes. Uh the bike crashes are real i mean all of it is real and also the fights lara's fight with the animal is also real and i'm really really proud of that because uh The inspiration for that fight was actually from the film Ed Wood, where he fights the octopus. And he just gets this rubbery octopus and he fights her with himself, you know? And I actually used this technique with Lara's fight with the pet ferret.

And she was fighting and doing this stunt with herself. But then we added just a bit more to the animal, just so we kind of feel that it is actually alive. But it was just a puppet. When did you actually shoot this? In 2024.

In winter of 2024, there was a lot of... The post-production was long because we were rewriting the film in editing And the music, there's a lot of music, and it's good music. It's actual orchestra, like real-life orchestra involved. And there was also lots of CGI in the film, which isn't really visible, which I really like. I do like to use CGI, and I'm not afraid of it.

I welcome it, especially if you can do it in such an invisible way. Tell me about that kind of editing, rewriting process that you're doing. How did the movie change during that whole process? I thought the script is good enough in a way that you understood what's going on. And of course, we edited the film like it was in the script.

And then people weren't really understanding what's going on, especially at the beginning, because it goes really fast at first. You're just thrown into this world, which is totally new, which has this different kind of people in it and the vibe of it all. And it's a fantastical world. And we then showed it to a couple of people. We also went to some work-in-progress workshops where we found out that the film is not understandable enough.

There's not enough exposition. I don't understand what he's trying to do. So we were actually just, we did a different timeline of the film than it is in the script itself. And there's quite a few deleted scenes as well, which we didn't need because we really did our best to make it in a way that you're not, you're just watching the film and learning what's going on. And you're not being told what's going on.

So we were trying to find that fine line between how much is being told to you directly and how much is not. Because I really like films and shows that you're just learning about what's going on by yourself. Lar, what's next for you? Do you have another film lined up? Actually, not yet.

Right now in October, I'm starting a process for a new play in a theater, in a celia theater. It is a town in Slovenia where actually we both with Urban have the main roles again. So it is, it is, I find it cute because it is, it will happen now when our movie is coming out. So it is, it is nice. So yes, now I am back in theater, and then I hope I will film again soon.

I'm sure you will. When the film comes out, people will get to meet you. Thank you. We hope so. Lara, is there a good place for people to keep up with you and your work out online?

Oh, yes. I am on Instagram, very active. I'm Now I'm starting to post more. But yes, yes, I'm there. I am there.

I'm everywhere. And Luca, I know you've got your movie coming out where you're a star in it or acting in it, hopefully the star. But what else is coming up for you? I have another film lined up, which is in post-production, actually. But it's a totally different type of film.

It's also a type of film which I really love, which are early 2000 indie Sundance films in the vein of Duplass Brothers. And I really wanted to do a film like that in this year. But it's filmed like it was filmed in like early 2000s. And it's a really intimate story, minimalistic story about three people going for a weekend and then the drama happens. But in the meantime, I'm also developing my new big film, like Girl in the Night.

So yeah, things are going good so far. Yeah, so I'm also on Instagram and only on Instagram. And it's my name and surname just put together, which is Luca Marzetti. I'm sure it's hard to pronounce. But yeah, if you just Google my name and just put that in Instagram, you will find me.

Is there a site or an Instagram just for the film? Yes, that as well. But it's in Slovenian, so we have to change that up a bit. But you can also find the link to the profile of the film in my bio of my Instagram. So we'll put the film's name in both languages on Instagram so people will get to find it.

Well, Lara and Luca, thank you so much for your time today. This was so wonderful talking with you. Thank you very much. Thank you. You're very kind.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.