Plot: An introvert teenage girl tries to survive her last week before leaving for high school.

It's taken a while for this film to head over the Atlantic and be released here.


For what seems like almost a year, I have heard nothing but great things about this American coming-of-age drama. So I was psyched when I managed to catch an early screening of this.


I have to say, I was pretty impressed by it and can see what all the fuss is about.


Throughout, there were constant moments that reminded me of when I was at high school and the many situations I experienced and encountered of social awkwardness and the struggles we were facing at that age as our body, behaviour and attitudes were changing.


Perfectly portraying all of that on screen was Elsie Fisher as our central character. At first I was dreading having to supposedly feel sympathy for her. But when the film delved into how she truly thinks and lives, then it was pretty easy. It was a wonderfully executed look of the modern teen.


While I don't think the other performances were exceptional, they all played their part in helping the story of our central character. However, I will give particular props to Josh Hamilton, who gave a particularly strong contribution in the final act that will melt hearts.


The level of authenticity is clearly the films biggest strength. With that added modern edge, it gave a pretty genuine and honest look at the current state of schools and how kids behave and feel about the world around them.


I felt the viewing experience to be a pretty memorable one. The story-telling was strong, with memorable characters, with very believable dialogue written by a team that knew how kids speak and there were plenty of powerful moments that never afraid to add a bit of occasional comedy as well.


Rating: 8/10