Film

Girl Rising

Name: Girl Rising
Genre: Documentary
Released: 2013
Cast: Liam Neeson, Anne Hathaway, Freida Pinto, Alicia Keys, Meryl Streep

Drama

Girl Rising is a 2013 documentary that follows nine girls across continents—Afghanistan, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Haiti, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Peru, and Sierra Leone—as they navigate poverty, tradition, and hope. Nine directors craft their stories in distinct styles. It's intimate rather than preachy, lyrical rather than lecturing, and it trusts young women to be the architects of their own narratives.

TMDb rating

3.5

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you want a film that lets nine girls from different corners of the world speak through close, intimate portraits, and you respond better to a human case for schooling than to statistics alone.

Skip it if you need a fast-moving story with a single protagonist, since this one moves between nine lives in a steady rhythm of voiceover and portrait that can feel repetitive.

What it asks of you: Roughly a hundred minutes, sitting with nine separate lives in turn, with the emotional register staying heavy for long stretches and little room for lightness.

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Born into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light Kids poster

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