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Lisa Aschen's film 'She Monkeys' is a tenderly observed account of two teenagers (and one younger girl) struggling with the pains of growing up, trying to be selected for a team of equestrian gymnasts. It's subtle, and leaves the inner workings of its protagonists' minds to the viewer's own understanding. The low budget is apparent in the relative absence, given the subject matter, of horses; but it doesn't mean that there isn't some skill in the acting, directing and writing. However, the plot doesn't really go anywhere, and the whole drama feels more like the prelude to another, more forceful story that doesn't actually happen.

More powerfully tense than many thrillers full of action and blood, this finds the terror in the small gestures of growing up, and the enormous implications behind them.

In the main story, adolescent Emma befriends cool girl Cassandra as they train to be part of a team that does gymnastics on horseback. Both friends and rivals, director Aschan manages to load almost every scene between the two with incredible unease. It seems as if at any moment they are either going to tear each others clothes off and make love, or kill each other, or kill someone else -- any and all combinations seem possible as they test their limits on the ragged edge of adulthood.

At the same time, Emma's 7 year old sister Sara is pushed by the world around her to become aware of her body with alternating pride, curiosity and shame, and her nascent sexuality leads to some wildly uncomfortable scenes with the adult men in her family. This never crossed the line into exploitation, but it effectively made me want to jump out of my skin, while making me ponder the deeper thematic and psychological/social issues.

One thing bothered me; the very end of the film seemed to over-simplify the mysterious complexity of much that had preceded it, reducing the story to something more pedestrian, and taking some of the considerable wind out of the film's sails. But this is still one of the better films about the terrors of youthful sexuality I've seen in a long while.

I have had some level of expectations from this film after reading a description and its plot seemed to be quite interesting. However all has turned into a quite drowsy film with slow action which was promised to be very different. Instead of emotional and passionate relation and even more ardent rivalry with complex scheme of mutual interactions we get a snail-paced development of the plot and two teens who are way too introvertic and timid to be truly passionate in anything. I didn't see here any hard situations with rivalry and any difficult situations, misunderstandings etc. caused by that. For sure not at the level it was expected (and promised) from the beginning. That story could have been interesting if had been directed in more clever and especially emotional way to reveal true passion if two lovers mixed with success & accolade rivalry. If I wanna see passion plus rivalry which leads to obsession I play movies like "Whiplash" or "Prestige".

I found She Monkeys to be a somewhat confusing film, meaning that the intent of the director was not readily apparent to me.

The tone of this film was more melancholic than playful. And foreboding. That is primarily because the main character, Emma, is a girl who purposefully hides her emotions. Because she is so stone-faced, it is difficult to know what she is thinking or to anticipate what she might do next.

This does add some suspense to the story. And it did keep me involved, wondering where the story was going next.

In the end, I did not find many truths or questions to reward my involvement. Technically, the film was well made. But emotionally, it left me wanting.

Lisa Aschan is a director rookie and this is really promising.

Two young girls are training voltige, the kind of competition there you make acrobatic moves on a horse's back. They have a relation, complete with hot feelings and jealousy, but without sex. It's a power struggle, but most of all it's a power struggle within one of the girls. Does she want control or life? You can't say.

Great feeling for what the camera can express here. Great cuts, great rhythm. The story is however not so uncommon as we are expected to believe. The quality lies in what the lens registrates. And there will hopefully be much more to come from this director.