Girlfriends (1978) - Claudia Weill

Susan, a photographer, lives with her best friend Anne in small apartment in New York City.  When Anne meets someone, she quickly gets married, leaving Susan alone for virtually the first time in her entire life.  An insecure person, Susan is forced to grow up quickly, seeking a new roommate while simultaneously trying to navigate adulthood.  Claudia Weill's Girlfriends is an honest and engrossing depiction of a young woman growing into her own skin.  It's a story of self discovery, as Susan learns to live as an independent woman and artist in the big city.  Humorous and incredibly genuine,  Girlfriends feels more like a documentary than a narrative, chronicling the trials and tribulations of Susan.  From desperation to loneliness to jubilee, Girlfriends encapsulates the life of a twenty-something artist vividly, capturing the struggle it truly takes to find oneself through understanding and resolve.  Even though I am pretty sure the film's grainy film stock was more representative of a low budget than anything else, it gives the film a compelling texture that just makes it even more real.  The most impressive aspect of Girlfriends is the complex bond it explores between two best friends, being both intricate and insightful in its depiction of their changing relationship due to growing up.  Susan feels betrayed and left behind by Anne, and the way their relationship changes and ultimately grows because of it encapsulates this whole struggle twenty-something's can experience.  Claudia Weill's Girlfriends is an impressive film about friendship and life, that's both intelligent and sensitive in approach. 

---