This is not a simple story, well I guess it is, but it has so many subtle issues weaving in and out and the characters are so understandable and real and all living their real lives. I cried during the film, but not sure why.. maybe it made me feel for the trivial things that an adolescent girl was going through, through the eyes of that girl such that they were no longer trivial, but engulfing. Yep, there's Islam, but it is neither promoting nor derrogating it, nor even making a religious point.. just showing that we're all navigating our way through various thoughts and feelings. A beautiful cast, with acting that just fit the story effortlessly. So real and sensitive to the love that each of us bear in our heart. I'm sure the pace, filmography, score and acting all played into this brilliant subtle and touching film. I can't say at times it seemed slow, but it was just part of how we felt these people's lives. If Tyler Perry was an intellectual genius, and had an artistic film crew, maybe he could have made something similar to this, but really, this is a unique director who I'll look out for in the future. Thanks for the experience.
