In Dorothée van den Berghe's delicate and touching coming-of-age story, 10-year-old Karo moves with her parents Raven and Dalia to a vibrant and carefree artists' squat in 1970s Amsterdam. The group lives in a space without walls, espousing views of free love, community, and revelry. But when Raven's relationship with a new woman—and Dalia's subsequent jealousy—fractures their family and threatens the commune's utopia, both Raven's lofty ideals and Karo's childish innocence will be challenged by the messy realities of human emotion.
Girl director van den Berghe draws on her own childhood in bohemian Amsterdam to craft a tender and visually lush portrait of adolescence. Newcomer Anna Franziska Jäger is captivating as Karo, channeling the universal childhood revelation that nothing stays the same forever and even grown-ups don't have all the answers. Through Karo's innocent point of view, we witness events beyond her years to comprehend, while the film's nostalgic tone and autobiographical perspective infuse it with a sense of understanding in hindsight.