SAD GIRLZ
[CHICAS TRISTES]
La Maestra (Rocio Guzmán) and Paula (Darana Álvarez) are teenage best friends with an unspoken and unbreakable bond. If they are not in the pool practicing for the school swim team, they are constantly hanging out, having sleepovers and buzzing about their first brushes with romance. Paula has a crush on fellow swimmer Daniel, and an upcoming party might be the perfect opportunity to spend some more time with him. But reality proves more complicated when the night does not go as planned. The fallout from the party starts to affect the girls’ friendship, as Paula wants to pretend like it never happened, while La Maestra is dead set on justice but unsure of how to best support her friend. Filmmaker Fernanda Tovar won the Crystal Bear for Best Film in the Generation sidebar at the 2026 Berlin Film Festival for her blistering coming-of-age drama, frankly exploring the heartbreak of girlhood and the beauty and power of female friendship. Guzmán and Álvarez are dazzling, their infectious chemistry captured with raw beauty via Tovar’s warm, nostalgic lens. –Josh Gardner
Official Selection, 2026 Tribeca Film Festival. DIR/SCR Fernanda Tovar; PROD Daniel Loustaunau, Araceli Velázquez. Mexico/Spain/France, 2026, color, 90 min. In Spanish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
Run Time: 90 Minutes
Opening Date: Sunday, September 20, 2026
Genre: Drama
