5 Girls

Kartemquin Films, the company behind 1994's award-winning high school basketball documentary Hoop Dreams, has produced another insightful cinematic essay on youthful aspirations with this bittersweet look at five young women between the ages of 13 and 17 bravely making their way through high school and adolescence. While each attends a different public or private high school in Chicago, the fact that the girls come from disparate cultural and social milieus makes for a rich narrative. Haibinh, a Southeast Asian-American, feels the weight of her parents' decision to emigrate from Vietnam so that she would be assured of a better life; Corrie's bisexuality separates her from the mainstream; Toby comes from a privileged background but worries about living up to familial expectations; and Aisha struggles with her parents' divorce and her father's controlling personality. Perhaps the most poignant story of the bunch is that of Amber, an honors student with big dreams, who leaves a difficult home life to live on her own. Director Maria Finitzo manages to serve up fully realized individual portraits while also distilling the essence of a young girl's inner life, returning to the common themes of parental conflict, self-discovery, alienation and sexual awakening. Each of these young women reveals a surprising degree of self-awareness during both direct interviews and in casual conversations with peers. A vivid record of adolescent resilience, 5 Girls is highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (A. Cantú)