Speak

Here is a gem of a little indie movie that takes a difficult subject and deals with it with craft and art. It's the story of a high school girl's struggles to cope with having been raped at a party: to talk about it, first with anyone and finally with her mother. Understatement and visual storytelling are what make this work so well, as well as the strong, sensitive performance of the lead. In less skilled hands, it would have sunk to the depths of overstated melodrama. A nice job.