Unicorns is a truly unique film. Its whimsical, yet bold aesthetic enhances the storyline, which diverges drastically from most coming of aged films about teenage girls. The creative and visually stunning special effects use light and stop motion in enchanting ways that depict Davina's internal condition with a relateable clarity. These magical realist representations illustrate the main character's psyche in a deep and intellectual way that female 16-year-old characters are unfortunately rarely endowed with in films. As someone who often gets bored visually with contemporary films, Unicorns kept me spellbound. It is a feast for the eyes. I had been able to see more films like it when I was 16, in which the story does not (Spoiler Alert) end predictably, with a romantic and heteronormative jaunt into the sunset.

This is an honest, well-composed film with a unique style. I Believe in Unicorns takes you in to the mind of a teenager as she struggles with what life has given with her. It shows her inner turmoil and hopes using fantastic imagery. And even though it is full of imagination, it presents a realistic picture of this young lady's life. It does not offer some "great solution" to life's problems. Instead,it shows the pain of growing up and facing the world for what it is - often disappointing and not all we wish it could be. Though it is definitely geared towards a female audience, if you understand that film is an art form and not an amusement park ride - whether you are male or female - you will enjoy this coming of age picture. Try it out. It's worth it.

All teenage girls need to see this I Believe in Unicorns. Or for that matter, anyone who ever was a teenage girl needs to. Leah Meyerhoff somehow manages to capture the human condition so perfectly in this film. It shows the ugly little details of life and relationships that nobody bothers to do in most movies and leaves you with a gut wrenching feeling (but in a good way). That's what really sets it apart. Natalia Dyer gives an extremely brave performance as Davina, a 16 year old girl juggling school, taking care of her mother with MS, and a new relationship with Sterling (Peter Vack), an older "bad boy". Sterling starts out as her "unicorn", but that starts to change as they become closer.It's also beautifully shot, some of it on 16mm film which gives it a vintage, timeless feel. There is no use of modern technology throughout the entire film, which leaves you guessing whether it took place in the present day or some magic era that never existed. The stop motion sequences make it whimsical and fantastical.

I Believe in Unicorns, is a nice starting point for director Leah Meyerhoff (it's her first feature film). It has a great leading performance by Natalia Dyer, interesting usage of stop motion animation representing the memories and imagination of the movie's leading girl and an interesting twist on the generally familiar myth of the unicorn. On the other hand, it's not as original as its creator believe, and it has a big problem with the pacing and a smaller problem of the potentially loaded relationship between Davina and her mother, to which the director keeps implying but never really explores, while she does explore the relationship between the young lovers whose direction is figured out long before the movie get's there. When an 80 minutes movie feels too long, it means the director has a problem. Still, for her feature film debut Leah's command of the media is impressive, there's every likelihood she'll get the pace better next time.