Little Girl Blue

Crisply directed, and marbled with a deft humor that places it way outside the Swiss norm, Little Girl Blue is a delight. Sidestepping most coming-of-age clichés, this wry comedy-drama centered on a new teen in town reps an impressive first feature by writer-director Anna Luif. Diminutive Sandra, 13, is cute as a lollipop. She has just moved into a new part of town and pals up with a 14-year-old called Mike (Andreas Eberle), also a loner. From the opening sequence of Sandra miming a pop classic - her family nickname is "Elvis" - it’s clear the film is going to be more than just a standard teen romancer. Luif’s precise direction creates a slightly off-centre world in which the low-key humor sits very nicely.