Girl Asleep: Rosemary Myers’s look into the hardships of the teen years, particularly for a new girl in town, is utterly charming and original. The protagonist has a birthday party shoved down her throat by her loving but misguided parents; the problem is she has just one true friend and a very active imagination. The two kids are easy to love: Bethany Whitmore, who plays the smart but lonely kid who wants nothing but to be left alone, and Harrison Feldman, as her motormouth best friend with his very peculiar mop of hair. Maiah Stewardson plays the slightly sinister queen bee of the school with glee. The film has very imaginative visuals, particularly with the small non-sensical details at the edge of the action; it is a fine work by cinematographer Andrew Commis, and Jonathon Oxlade (acting as both costume and production designer) to create such a world. Editor Karryn de Cinque gives the film a snappy pace that wastes not a second, while still allowing for the visual richness to shine. Very solid use of music.