Film Review: Big Girls Don’t Cry: Paloma Schneideman’s Quietly Effective Film is Relatable and Quite Relevant [Sundance 2026]

Big Girls Don’t Cry Review

Big Girls Don’t Cry (2026) Film Review from the 49th Annual Sundance Film Festival, a movie written and directed by Paloma Schneideman and starring Ani Palmer, Noah Taylor, Rain Spencer, Beatrix Rain Wolfe, Tara Canton, Ian Blackburn, Poroaki Merritt-McDonald, Miriama McDowell, Ngataitangirua Hita and Sophia Kirkwood Smith.

Filmmaker Paloma Schneideman’s earnest New Zealand-set teen drama, Big Girls Don’t Cry, has a lot to say, much like its main character, Sid Bookman (Ani Palmer). Sid is a fourteen-year old girl who dreams more than she acts and when she does start doing things to change her future, the results are not always those which were intended. Schneideman gets a star-making performance from the terrific Palmer in this ambitious film which is occasionally undermined by the things it doesn’t display on-screen (e.g. those unrequited passions of Sid). It’s hard not to sympathize with Sid for much of the movie, though, which makes the film easy to watch and, for the most part, the viewer will understand the heartbreak of the experiences Sid undergoes throughout the film.

This film opens with Sid on the computer with an older man displayed on her screen who wishes to masturbate for her. Sid is a bit confused by the scenario even though she allows it temporarily. Ngataitangirua Hita co-stars in the film as a central character named Tia who seems a bit like Sid even though the plot unfolds in an unpredictable way where Sid gets involved with a girl called Lana (Beatrix Rain Wolfe) through some unusual circumstances within the picture. A character named Freya (Rain Spencer) further complicates an already complex situation as Sid grows and learns about herself during a very emotional time in her life.

Set in 2006, the film never loses focus on its main subject which is the emotional well-being of Sid who is undergoing some very intense changes in her life. By zeroing in on Sid’s down-on-his-luck dad, Leo (well-played by Noah Taylor), the film shows the viewer why Sid does what she does and how she yearns for the type of human companionship she so desperately finds missing in her life. Take for instance a scene where Sid is on the beach and goes to share beers with a couple of girls who she wants to get to know better. One can see that Sid is looking to connect with people her own age or thereabout and has a difficult time finding herself in the process. There are many small scenes which help drive home the film’s points about how the queer and smart Sid can’t seem to grasp happiness no matter how hard she tries, though she comes awfully close to it.

This film doesn’t automatically make clear Sid’s sexual preferences. She’s seen deciding between a guy and a girl to lust over at one point, but it doesn’t matter much. I mean, she’s only 14-years old, but, at the same time, the picture displays to the viewer how she comes as close as possible to finding her true self during the time period this movie covers. This picture benefits greatly from Palmer’s on-screen honesty in her performance.

Another notable performance is that of Tara Canton as Sid’s sister, Adele, who is a catalyst to the film’s story line by bringing Freya on board. Canton has a certain level of preciseness in her work in this film that is a nice juxtaposition to the performance of Palmer which is full of creative depth and quiet passion. Sid wants to fit in and pierces her belly button poorly to do so at one point. This film shows how Sid experiments with her emotions and even “recreational” drugs as well. By setting the movie during 2006, the movie adequately covers the time period, technologically speaking, as well by exploring the things that were popular back then with girls around Sid’s age.

As Diggy Tia’s brother, Poroaki Merritt-McDonald is perfectly cast as he becomes a character that helps conflict ensue as it becomes immersed in the movie’s story line. I liked Merritt-McDonald’s extremely on-point and vulnerable performance which helps to create a male characterization with emotions that are paralleled to the female ones. Trying to fit in and be true to one’s self is a theme embodied in Big Girls Don’t Cry and that element makes the film very easy to respect and admire.

Big Girls Don’t Cry is brave and takes big risks. I’m not entirely sure all of them work. Some plot points are thrown in willy-nilly and are more a representation of the time period the film is set than a great way to develop the plot of the picture. That being said. Palmer’s performance needs to be called out for its tremendous sensitivity and bravery. I don’t think we’ll see a more honest portrayal of a teenage girl at the movies this year. This picture is about the way teenagers act and how they want to be treated by others. It’s real, it’s brutal and it’s delicate simultaneously. There’s not much need for sugar-coating although it does occasionally happen sporadically within the film from time to time.

I wish there weren’t a few moments that feel like they border on being movie moments rather than “real-life” ones, but never mind. Big Girls Don’t Cry is a powerful reminder of the way things were and the way they still could be today in a world that may change its evolving technology, but young people never change their human spirit and determination, for better and for worse. I liked this film a lot.

Rating: 7.5/10

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