Goddess of the Fireflies

Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette's 2020 Canadian film is set in Quebec in the mid-nineties. Catherine, whose parents are divorcing, finds herself inside a new group of friends where drugs circulate and violence is everyday. The film does not present this as a warning. Catherine's choices are made intelligible and the narrative keeps no moral distance; adolescence is shown as a search rather than a collapse. It is adapted from a novel. Kelly Depeault leads; the camera is handheld and the music carries the youth culture of the period. Sexuality and violence are shown openly and the film was argued over for it. Who it's for: those who like Quebec cinema and realist narratives of adolescence. Who it's not for: viewers uncomfortable with teenage characters' sexuality and drug use shown openly.