Garota Americana

This film is exactly what it's like. Most accurate depiction of mother daughter relationship i've seen on film thus far. Extremely well written, draws you in. I cried many times. It's just so well done it's so moving PLEASE WATCH.

I just so loved the plot and narration.

Each of the characters did justice to their roles and it all just came out to perfection.

A perfect blend of emotions, family bond, sibling love, social and surrounding situations and a lot more.

"Unlike THE FALLS's glossy patina and beneficent ideation, AMERICAN GIRL goes for the jugular in dissecting a nuclear family's internecine strife and support, with a sideswipe leveling at Taiwan education system's approbation of the outmoded corporal punishment. Fen's "American girl" tag is more a source of discrimination than something she can boast of, one of the examples evince Roan's crystal-clear discernment of Fen's predicament. Dexterously shot by Giorgos Valsamis within finite space, AMERICAN GIRL's cinematography reflects an alluring veracity on top of a rich textural substrate, it helps to ease its audience into the the family's early 2000 milieu like a charm. Tellingly, one cannot over-stress the accomplishment of the cast, especially Lam and Fan, grappling with the heavy-lifting with cracking efficacy and potency, Lam's pent-up emotion crackles consistently from scene to scene whereas Fan pulls off the cardinal challenge where a misty-eyed Fen communing with an intractable white horse like a real pro."

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Very ordinary story that everyone would experience, yet no resonance would be generated with audiences due to the extreme annoying performances of the actress. Acting as a mom, the actress was being unrealistically emotional that would make audience wonder if she is acting an psychotic patient as well.

Simple and common plot + slow pace story telling style by director + insensible performance by actress = surely not worth your time.

This is a family drama that is realistic and relatable, at least for me. I resonated deeply with a lot of the main character's experiences - from the deep love-hate mother-daughter relationship and the bond between the sisters, to Fen Liang's stubbornness and intense emotionality. Watched it with my mum and she could "totally understand the feelings of the mother".

A couple of reviewers have noted that the film is quite slow but I feel like the pace, camera angles and scenery make it feel as if the audience is only spectating the real lives of the family, instead of being served some hyper saturated plot-driven story. I respect that it might not be everyone's cup of tea though. All in all, I thought it was a cinematic and greatly truthful film.