Critic Reviews

Even when this film is a bit too neat, it’s still totally irresistible.

Girl Picture is designed to feel as closely observed as a diary, but it’s also like being pulled along by a friend eager for you to experience what they go through, see things the way they do, to just get it and have a great time too. That’s a special kind of invitation, and Girl Picture is more than enough movie to make its compassion for the lives of teenage girls a swirling, swooning high.

A joyous, resonant snapshot of growing into one’s own, and challenging even your own expectations of who you thought you could be.

While Girl Picture isn’t necessarily breaking any new ground, this sensitively rendered dramedy invites viewers into the world of three young Finnish women on the cusp of adulthood with an affection and mellow sense of humor that makes it a more than agreeable cinematic companion.

Haapasalo blesses her trio with a pop soundtrack that crescendos at the peak of a kiss, and climactic crises that are a mite too readily resolved, adamantly gracing this awkward stage of girlhood with forgiveness — not hectoring lessons.

Girl Picture is a thoughtful, funny, and empathetic look at lives in flux.

It’s unapologetic with showcasing the intricacies of girlhood, and it’s a joy to experience and witness sexuality, queerness, and female friendship in its honest totality — free of judgement and restraint.

This is such a vivid, lovable triple-decker performance from Milonoff, Kauhanen and Leino.

There are moments – Mimmi biting back her emotions as Emma dances for her alone at night – that tingle with discovery and promise.

In spite of the movie’s tropes, Haapasalo clearly understands that, when you’re young, desire can feel confusing or gratifying, thrilling or overwhelming. In her snapshot of contemporary girlhood, Haapasalo contains all of the above — making the movie an affecting achievement that never feels less than loving.