Dream, Girl (2016) Online

Just purely as a documentary, it has some minor weaknesses. Just to get those out of the way, the first part of the film focuses primarily on introduction of the project and the people involved and I couldn't help but think it was a bit corny. There was one part that evoked for me the joke of women in stock photography seeming to find their salads hilarious for no discernible reason. It just had that same type of "trying too hard to convey joy" vibe to it. But this is nitpicking.

The strength of this work comes from the women it highlights. The most impressive for me personally was Clara Villarosa, the founder of Hue-Man books. She has such a charming self-assuredness underscored by practical honesty to her interview that it makes the audience feel like they've just been imparted some sage wisdom with someone with actual sage wisdom. Similarly, the rest of the women are impressive in their own projects and very notably diverse. And not just in their spectrum of backgrounds, but also in their fields, their business maturity, and their target markets representing everything from . As the film moves beyond the introductions and into the stories of these women, you can't help but want to root for them. Beyond the cast, the scope of the film doesn't ignore the realities and the various challenges that women face in business, but subtly neither does it dwell on them. Instead there's a prevading pragmatic approach to describing the role of entrepreneurial women in society that gives the film its motivational (but without being hokey) feel.

I watched this in an art-house theater in Dubai and came away wishing my niece and nephew were old enough that I could have brought them with me. Dream, Girl is a lovely and necessary work, that's also an engaging and enjoyable experience.