The film as a whole looked and felt like a documentary, so I wasn't surprised to learn, when I went back to the VIFF catalogue, that it is in fact based on a documentary, and by the same director, no less. The narrative seems less like it's constructed than like the camera just drops in and follows the girls--Jessica, Sabrina, Daiane--for a while, then leaves them at a moment that sees them no better or worse than when it arrived. Well, a bit better, I hope. The lack of dramatic tension is the film's strength--not to say there isn't drama and tension in their lives; they have more than their fair share--but the events unfold as if we are an old friend of the group, someone who knows already each of their histories, someone who is trusted, someone who cares, someone who makes no judgements.

There are no VIFF screenings remaining, so here's the trailer: