Film
I Am a Girl
This documentary follows six girls across the globe—from Uganda to Afghanistan to Brazil—as they navigate education, poverty, and the social forces determined to limit their futures. It's intimate without being patronising, urgent without preaching. For anyone interested in how girls actually live outside their own geography, and what it takes to resist the world's expectations.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you want to sit close to a handful of young lives and let their particular days, jokes and worries add up to a larger argument about what girls are given.
Skip it if you go to documentaries for sharp argument rather than heart-tugging stories, the earnest framing and campaign-style polish may feel like a lot of sincerity with little surprise.
What it asks of you: Under ninety minutes and deliberately unhurried, it lingers on ordinary days and trusts you to hold the thread across six separate lives.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Girl Rising2013
Follows nine girls from different continents fighting for education against staggering odds. Like *I Am a Girl*, it finds extraordinary resilience in ordinary circumstances, with storytelling that trusts its subjects.
But Shares the same year and similar structure, so it can feel repetitive if you watch them back-to-back. Some may find the global-cause format slightly programmatic.
The Wolfpack2015
Documents six siblings raised in extreme isolation in New York, reclaiming their lives through film and art. Character-driven, surprising, shows what young people do when given almost nothing but determination.
But Darker tone than expected. Some viewers find the family dynamics unsettling, and the NYC setting won't have the geographical breadth you might be seeking.
Beasts of No Nation2015
A Cary Fukunaga film following a child soldier in an unnamed African country. Unflinching portrait of what war does to childhood, with a lead performance that's devastating and utterly alive.
But Brutal. Not a documentary—it's fiction, so the authenticity is mediated. If you need the real voices, this isn't it.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from I Am a Girl
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Cube 2: Hypercube2002
Both centre girls' actual voices and choices rather than their circumstances. But where *I Am a Girl* is a measured global survey, *HyPe* is one place, unfiltered.
A South African documentary about girls in Cape Town navigating girlhood, rap, sex, and survival through social media and music. Raw where *I Am a Girl* is observational; feels like overhearing rather than being guided.
But Handheld, verité style; some will find it deliberately unglamorous or too chaotic. The subjects are franker about sex than many documentaries, which may surprise you.
More like this (8)
Slomo2013
A 77-minute portrait of a man who gave up law and skateboarded full-time. Sounds lightweight until you realise it's about choosing your own extraordinary over the world's expectations—exactly the film's theme.
But Very gentle, almost meditative. If you need momentum or conflict, it'll feel slight. Some find the skateboarding repetitive.
The Act of Killing2012
Indonesian death-squad leaders re-enact their own massacres. Profound, horrifying, essential look at how societies paper over atrocity—and what it costs.
But Extremely graphic and conceptually difficult. Not a feel-good film about young people—the opposite. Requires a strong stomach and real mental space.
Jiro Dreams of Sushi2011
A sushi master's life dedication. Like *I Am a Girl*, it's about becoming something through relentless commitment, but here the stakes are artistic perfection rather than survival.
But Slow, meditative, almost hypnotic. If you want narrative drive, you won't find it. Some find it precious.
Senna2010
Archive footage tells the story of a racing driver's rise and rivalry. Gripping, beautifully edited, shows drive and ambition through action rather than interview.
But Sports-focused; if motorsport doesn't interest you, the emotional core may not land. Heavily dependent on footage quality from different eras.
Pumzi2009
A speculative fiction short set in a climate-changed future where a girl tends a plant in an underground bunker. Science fiction, but grounded in real environmental and political anxiety.
But Only 20 minutes. Sci-fi visual language may feel overstated for some. It's a fragment, not a full narrative.
Dancer in the Dark2000
A woman working two jobs to save her son's eyesight. Raw, uncompromising, and uses musical theatre as a way to explore resilience and breaking points.
But Devastating to watch. Not a documentary, so less immediate. Björk's presence dominates, and the tonal shifts aren't for everyone.
The Queen of Versailles2012
Structurally mirrors *I Am a Girl*: both follow multiple figures in their own worlds, but here we're watching gilded delusion instead of resourceful survival. Opposite poles of the same idea about ambition.
A documentary about a wealthy family's unravelling during the 2008 financial crisis. Hilarious, tragic, and accidentally a portrait of American female ambition unchecked by circumstance or reflection.
But Tragicomic in a way that punches down. The subject is wealthy and sympathetic in confusing measures. Very different genre—satire rather than testimonial.
Stranger Than Fiction2006
Both ask the same question: who gets to write your story? *I Am a Girl* shows girls doing it themselves. *Stranger Than Fiction* asks what happens when someone else holds the pen.
A man realizes his life is being narrated by a novelist. Magical realism exploring control, destiny, and whether we're authors of our own lives. Stars Will Ferrell, Emma Thompson, and plays the concept with genuine warmth.
But Fiction, not documentary. Whimsical tone may feel disconnected from *I Am a Girl*'s weight. If you need realism, this abstracts everything.
People
Directing
- Rebecca BarryDirector
Writing
- Rebecca BarryWriter
Production
- Alejandra CanalesLine Producer
- Ester HardingProducer
- Rebecca BarryProducer