Written and directed by Mei Makino
Starring Emma Galbraith, William Magnuson, Emily Garrett
1 hour 29 minutes
Unrated
Available on demand May 3

by Audrey Callerstrom, Associate Editor and Staff Writer

Mei Makino’s debut Inbetween Girl, a tale of coming-of-age and sexual awakening, bears some resemblance to Marielle Heller’s The Diary of a Teenage Girl. Both young women are artists, cartoonists specifically. Both young women have a sexual awakening and grow increasingly curious about this new thing their bodies can do. Both women push boundaries and challenge their parents. And most importantly, both films have a stunning, charismatic lead (Bel Powley in Diary, Emma Galbraith in this film) who carries the film effortlessly.

Inbetween Girl has a lighter feel, like its targeted audience is the same age as the teen characters. Any adult characters are painted with a light brush. Galbraith, in her first feature film role, stars as Angie, a 16-year-old whose parents have suddenly divorced. Her mom (Liz Waters) is white, and her dad (KaiChow Lau) is Chinese-American. Being a mixed white and Chinese American makes her an example of diversity for her small private school. She’s even on the brochure. She’s a bit of an artsy outsider, but she feels grounded with the friendship she has with the school heartthrob, Liam (William Magnuson). Their casual friendship turns not-so-casual as Angie and Liam start sleeping together in spite of Liam having a girlfriend, the chaste Sheryl (Emily Garrett).

Galbraith is a terrific actress. I was surprised to see her only previous credits were in a couple of short films. She has such an ease on screen. There is not a single moment that goes by in that film where I see her as anyone other than Angie. Galbraith and Magnuson have strong chemistry, but the supporting performances are lacking. Both of Angie’s parents are underwritten and don’t feel like real people. Her mother is a workaholic lawyer, mumbling things about depositions and meetings running late and such. Her dad works in a nondescript lab. Her dad is warm, her mother is not. Neither of them ever feel like any more than acquaintances to the other. Sheryl is supposed to be an online influencer/prissy Catholic girl (with a heart of gold), but she’s not convincing in the few scenes she has, particularly, but not exclusively, when she cries. Makino also gives Angie a best friend character, Rebecca (Kelsey Buckley), whose only purpose is to let you know that Angie does have other friends. With characters who feel like caricatures, it’s hard to stay invested in the story, in spite of Galbraith’s star-making performance.

The film also struggles with pacing. Scenes that could be sharper and have a greater emotional impact tend to drag. There are too many gaps. Scenes with Rebecca are unnecessary, since she’s just a sounding board, and isn’t that what Angie’s video blog is for? Angie’s art is used sparingly, and never on screen the same time as she is. This could have made the film more striking, from a visual sense. Although the film’s plot feels borrowed, Angie’s experience of being an outsider rings true. It’s clearly a personal story for Makino, who describes herself as having grown up “at the intersection of several identities, but never felt like any of them fully fit.” Angie doesn’t speak Mandarin, or know how to properly fold a Chinese dumpling. His father’s new girlfriend, however, does. Nor does Angie come from the stability and wealth of many of her classmates. You can tell that Angie has had to tolerate racist comments when Sheryl’s mother remarks about Angie’s “orient” heritage and how cute Chinese babies are. Angie is on the precipice of exploding, but knows she has to just nod and smile to move away from the moment.

It’s a personal story told through the eyes of a teen, who acts and talks like a teen, and not as though she was written by an adult who wished they talked and acted a certain way at that time. Her perspective is unique, but the film kind of keeps her and her struggles at arm’s length. The combination of some clunky pacing and performances can weigh the film down at times, but Galbraith keeps it afloat.