Smalltown Girl
Two young women pursue reckless freedom together until one friend’s buried trauma makes intimacy and escape impossible to keep separate.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- free-spirited
- intimate
- wistful
- reflective evening
- independent film night
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Nore's troubled past and childhood trauma obstruct her attempts to pursue carefree intimacy and a new life with Jonna.
Nore moves in with former classmate Jonna, making their friendship the central relationship through which both women confront difficult realities.
The women's one-night stands with disposable partners initially appear carefree but become entangled with Nore's traumatic past.
Young Nore appears in connection with the adult Nore's unfolding confrontation with childhood trauma and mobbing.
Films like Smalltown Girl, and why
Fish Tank
Shares female friendship, adolescent-to-adult transition, sexual vulnerability, and an intimate social-realist tone.
Girlhood
Shares young female friendship, self-reinvention, volatile emotional intimacy, and contemporary coming-of-age energy.
Thirteen
Shares troubled adolescence, sexual trauma, reckless behavior, and psychologically intense female-centered drama.
Movie Details
- Director
- Hille Norden
- Release Date
- 2026-01-15
- Runtime
- 122 min
- Rating
- 5.2 / 10 (6)
Cast
- Dana Herfurth
- Luna Jordan
- Vera Fay
- Jakob Geßner
- Johann von Bülow
- Campbell Caspary
- Kjell Brutscheidt
- Yann Mbiene
- Manolo Bertling
- Marcel Heupermann
Common questions
- What is Smalltown Girl about?
- Two young women pursue reckless freedom together until one friend’s buried trauma makes intimacy and escape impossible to keep separate.
- What is Smalltown Girl like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Smalltown Girl as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Smalltown Girl violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Smalltown Girl as mild.
- Which films are like Smalltown Girl?
- Films with a similar feel include Fish Tank, Girlhood, and Thirteen.
- How long is Smalltown Girl?
- Smalltown Girl runs 122 minutes.
