“This ambitious documentary offers moving, detailed portraits of five young women.”
—Ron Wertneimer, The New York Times
“…As filmmaker Maria Finitzo follows these five Chicago-area girls over a three year peroid, you’ll come to like and respect them all. Bottom Line: The girls are all right.”
—People Magazine
“If you find that Dawson’s Creek lacks a certain grainy verite in its examination of teenage life, try 5 Girls…”
—Jed Dickson, Elle Magazine
“Finitzo elicits an amazing degree of candor from her subjects. 5 Girls offers a revealing portrait of a new girl. It’s one we’ve seen little of in mainstream media.”
—Marisa Guthrie, The Boston Herald
“…an important contribution to the national consciousness about adolescent girls because it breaks the all too common stereotypes.”
—Norine J. Johnson, Ph.D., President, The American Psychological Association
“…Finitzo’s restraint and compassion has made this one of the most powerful examinations of teenage life ever created…thorough, balanced, and insightful…”
—Taos Talking Picture Festival
“…a realistic, funny and refreshing glimpse into the lives of our future…”
—Karla Esquivel, indieWire
“With Chicago as its backdrop, everything from first loves to poverty, from hairstyles to immigration come to the forefront in this tightly woven drama.”
—Chicago Defender
“It celebrates the girls’ strength and ability to navigate such a confusing time of life.”
—Norine Johnson, Ph.D, APA President
“This solidly realized chronicle of a time in the lives of five girls succeeds because it illustrates how each deals with impending womanhood, despite differences in ethnic and economic backgrounds.”
—The Taos News
“Director Maria Finitzo manages to serve up fully realized individual portraits while also distilling the essence of a young girl’s inner life, returning to common themes of parental conflict, self discovery, alienation and sexual awakening…a vivid record of adolescent resilience, 5 Girls is highly recommended.”
—A. Cantu, Video Librarian
“This thoughtful documentary…does a splendid job of profiling five local teen girls as they wade through the choppy waters of adolescence.”
—John Petrakis, The Chicago Tribune
For two years, filmmaker Maria Finitzo followed five strong young women between the ages of 13 and 17. Unlike the myriad reports, books and “specials” that focus on young women as passive and powerless, 5 Girls explores the ways these girls discover the resources necessary to successfully navigate the rocky waters of adolescence. It focuses on the positive ways girls learn to adapt to challenge in their lives by understanding and exercising choices, by believing in their strength when others do not and by resisting powerful cultural messages, which urge them to be silent.