Girl

Taiwanese star actress Shu Qi makes her directorial debut with a subtle, poetic portrait of a young girl and her tentative journey toward self-discovery.

In this Golden Lion-nominated, Hou Hsiao-hsien-inspired drama, we meet Hsiao-lee, a withdrawn girl who takes care of her younger sister and bears the brunt of the blows when their father drinks and their mother takes out her frustration on the eldest daughter. A hopeless pattern that repeats over and over. But everything changes when she meets Li-li, a girl her own age from an equally broken home, who responds with defiance. She wears makeup, smokes, skips school – and opens Hsiao-lee’s eyes to the possibility of another path. Girl impresses with strong performances, poetic visuals, and a rich color palette.

• Johan Blomqvist