Again with what has become a love it or hate it film debate here I find myself in the middle, althoug leaning more towards arsaib's viewpoint. I mean there are a lot of stock characters in here, and the coming of age film seems to be a choice between serious soul searching, or comedy. Perhaps this film could have used some comic relief, as it overwhelmingly was very bleak, which was only accentuated by the landscape. We're all in agreement about the star's performance here however. I couldn't help labelling Heidi as a total whore early on in the film, and each time she went out, I kept thinking "oh boy the next cut is going to show them having sex", and I didn't want to see that, which might seem surprising coming from me. I just didn't want this character to be wandering through bedrooms. In all I think its an accomplishment, and the world needs more female directors that's for damn sure, I just hope we can get a more concerted effort next time around.