Because We Are Girls depicts certain landscapes and figures, but what is their connection? The hesitation to draw a connection is not to create suspense, but rather to cautiously approach the issues involving traumas and to bring some solace to those who have experienced it. At first the film seems to be determined to convey a horrible, but familiar story. As the story develops, however, a number of twists in the way the issue is addressed and communicated arise. The film focuses on a family of three in the Indian community in Canada, using clips from Bollywood films and home video footage to express moments and situations the family have experienced. Typically such imagery is fun and heartwarming, but here they are used to convey issues of violence inflicted upon women, including incestuous sexual assault, cultural differences, and more. The film offers no easy answers, with the landscapes and villages shot from distant angles conveying the director’s intention of how people avoid directly engaging with such issues and the people effected. [HWANG Miyojo]