Girl Picture, an honest snapshot of early womanhood

Premiered at Sundance, Alli Haapasalo’s new movie won the World Cinema Dramatic Audience Award, and that’s not the only reason for you to go watch it. A fresh and honest take on romantic and sexual exploration, Girl Picture offers three very different characters that you will definitely grow attached to.

We meet with two longtime best friends, Mimmi and Rönkkö, whose polar opposites personality only make for a better duo. Mimmi is mysterious and short-tempered, while Rönkkö is wiser and friendlier.  Both have in common a thirst for new experiences, and a job at a food court smoothie kiosk.

We follow the young women across three Friday nights, as Rönkkö is complaining about not finding the one. An encounter Mimmi is blessed with at a party, where she meets Emma. The disciplined skate dancer seems like a weird fit for Mimmi, but the chemistry is just there and can’t be ignored.

The movie is then cut between two storylines: Rönkkö’s quest for an orgasm in heterosexual encounters and Mimmi’s romance with Emma, troubled by her trust issues. Frequent smoothie breaks maintain the link between the two best friends, their friendship still at the center of the film.

As the young women adjust to their evolving lives, we get to see an honest portrayal of late teenage years and young womanhood, full of mistakes, hesitations, and questions left unanswered.

Accompanied by the perfect soundtrack, from club techno to Perfume Genius, Girl Picture is the perfect sweet coming-to-age to watch if you’re in need of young lesbian romance, with the added fun of sprinkled sexual exploration through mediocre straight sex.