The Girls Are Alright

The Girls Are Alright (Las chicas están bien), the debut feature of writer-director Itsaso Arana, is a Spanish film about four actresses and a writer who gather for a week one summer at an isolated old mill to rehearse a play, growing closer as they share their lives and private stories alongside the rehearsals. Director Arana has described the film as being "about friendship and reconciliation among women," calling the act of making it "an act of courage, disobedience, and boldness." The film had its world premiere in official competition at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and received nominations for Best New Director and Best First Film at the 38th Goya Awards. Who it's for: anyone curious about a Spanish film in which five women gathered at an isolated mill for a summer share their lives through the process of rehearsing a play, an act its director calls one of courage. Who it's not for: those wanting a fast, plot heavy drama, since the film takes a calm, observational pace as its relationships slowly unfold.