Girl of Wind

Chris Berry

I nominated this film because it is so fresh and unusual. The protagonist, the girl taking risks on rooftops, is fascinating — but I could barely look at the footage of her doing it. The hair stood up on the back of my neck and several times I thought I might be sick. I genuinely struggled to sit through those scenes. Still, I admired the way the director uses that footage, and the screens of WeChat messages, as part of how we come to understand her. For some reason the score did not work for me, and I found the film compelling all the same.

Zlatina Rousseva

I admire the courage and persistence of both the protagonist and the director. It is a beautiful portrait of youth looking for its own path, and its own achievement.