Sad Girlz

Sad Girlz, the moving, assured feature debut from writer-director Fernanda Tovar, captures their undeniable, believable friendship before and after trauma, with naturalistic performances from its young leads. Paula and La Maestra have an easy, affectionate bond. Both sixteen, they have other warm relationships with men in their lives, but they’re clearly each other’s anchor. How they navigate something more wrenching than they know how to handle makes Sad Girlz a delicately affecting coming-of-age story and a thoughtful exploration of how fragile and elastic some friendships can be.