I Believe in Unicorns (2015)

I Believe in Unicorns feels like a secret diary brought to life—an intimate, poetic coming-of-age drama that captures the ache and electricity of first love with unusual honesty. Its inventive visual flourishes and luminous cinematography don’t decorate the story so much as translate a teenage girl’s inner world into images, making every moment feel heightened, tender, and real. Natalia Dyer gives a quietly fearless performance, and the film’s punk-tinged, dreamlike vibe keeps it hovering between romance and reckoning without turning sentimental. It’s not for viewers looking for a tidy moral lesson or conventional structure, but if you want a beautiful, emotionally precise portrait of youth on the edge of itself, this one lingers.

I Believe in Unicorns is aiming for an impressionistic coming-of-age drama, capturing teenage longing and escape through dreamy visuals and raw emotion rather than a neatly plotted story. The problem is that the “artsy” approach can feel self-important and thin on actual narrative substance, with pacing that drifts and scenes that seem more like mood pieces than meaningful development. Its tone is deliberately abrasive and uncomfortable, and the film’s handling of sensitive material—especially given the young lead—may be a dealbreaker if you’re not up for something that pushes boundaries without much cushioning. If you’re drawn to poetic, messy character studies you might find moments that land, but if you need clear storytelling and a steadier sense of purpose, this will likely test your patience.