there are pacing issues, to be sure, and the rudimentary storyline doesn't live up to its pretensions. But the film proves strongly effective nonetheless, thanks to the filmmaker's grasp of genre mechanics and the excellent performances
Bella Thorne gives a spiky, hard-eyed performance in the lead role; Faust himself makes quite an impression in his role; "Girl" is always watchable, with the characters making a bigger impression than the drama, and none of them too small to matter
"Girl" is an unshowy thriller that tries to kindle a hypnotically cold atmosphere; as a grainy, strained family mystery, there is some crooked pleasure to be had trying to juggle one dramatic twist after another alongside the equally bemused protagonist
"Girl" is a great, grimy character study that's more dense than it appears at first glance. It slips into "seen it before" cliche here and there, but ultimately carves its own path as a heartbreaking story about family and missed opportunities