Alba

Running time: 98 mins

One young girl’s journey to adolescence and to self-acceptance. Eleven-year-old Alba is painfully shy, and spends much of her time withdrawn and in silence, observing the beauty of tiny insects in the world around her. When her mother becomes ill, she moves in with the father she doesn’t know and quickly learns that he suffers from her same inability to connect. As they navigate their tense relationship, Alba deflects bullying at school, while simultaneously being surprised by bouts of kindness. When she’s invited to a classmate’s party and experiences her first kiss, she must learn to manage the pressures of abandoning her solitude. A beautifully understated exploration of adolescence and loneliness. – Megan Koehler