Big Girls Don’t Cry, 2026.
Directed by Paloma Schneideman
Starring Ani Palmer, Noah Taylor, Rain Spencer, Beatrix Wolfe, Ian Blackburn, Ngataitangirua Hita, Sophia Kirkwood Smith, Tara Canton
SYNOPSIS:
New Zealand, the mid-2000s. A 14 year old tries to work out who they want to be amid pressure of trying to fit in.
A sparkling debut feature, Big Girls Don’t Cry from Paloma Schneideman paints an evocative picture of growing up when you’re unsure of who you are and what the rules of social engagement might be. Trying to figure out your identity—and who you can truly be yourself around—is captured in uncompromising detail within a story rich in heart and soul. Set during a long, winding summer in 2006 New Zealand, the film showcases that fragile stage of adolescence where feelings swing wildly between thinking everything is possible and feeling as though everything is pointless.
The core of this beautifully made film is powered by an engaging central performance from Ani Palmer as Sid, a 14-year-old student trying to work out her place in the world. Once school finishes for the summer, Sid spends much of her time in splendid isolation in the suburban countryside where she lives with her dad (Noah Taylor). Still reeling from the fact that Sid’s mum has left him, her father carries his own complicated feelings of inadequacy, constantly worrying that he isn’t good enough for Sid and her older sister. Taylor and Palmer bring out the quiet drama and tenderness of this father-daughter relationship brilliantly.
Sid’s seemingly only and best friend, Tia (Ngātai Hita), has a popular older brother whom Sid has recently started impersonating on internet message boards, taking advantage of the early wonders of the web. This online deception inadvertently brings the popular girls from her school into her orbit, offering Sid a sudden, intoxicating window into teenage parties, drinking, drugs, and both romantic and not-so-romantic encounters.
As Sid navigates these murky waters of self-discovery, things become even more complicated when her big sister returns home for the summer alongside her friend from California, Freya (Rain Spencer). Thoroughly enamoured with Freya, Sid becomes determined to spend as much time with her as possible, adding another layer of longing and confusion to her summer.
Stylistically, the dreamy swirl of the film drifts from scene to scene in a relaxed, unhurried rhythm, keeping its focus tightly anchored on Sid’s perspective. Furthermore, the retro texture of life 20 years ago, set right at the dawn of mobile technology and just before social media came to dominate teenage life, provides an authenticity that should prove deeply resonant with any audience, and perhaps millennials in particular.
All in all, Big Girls Don’t Cry is an impressive achievement. It stands as a powerful, emotional, and imaginative portrait of learning about identity and the wider world. It plays out almost like a song-poem about discovering life in all its messy complexities. Schneideman has crafted a film of rare emotional intelligence. Highly recommended.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert W Monk
