The second feature film by Canadian director, writer, and actress Grace Glowicki brought me back to that feeling of being a kid looking at the horror section at Blockbuster, full of movies with outrageous covers I wasn’t allowed to check out.

Using familiar narrative tropes to tell a purposeful story about trans kids and their parents, Fia Perera’s Mermaid succeeds thanks to its touching central relationship.

This is an ambitious take on the kung fu martial arts film, made by an Italian team with character-driven drama that feels grand within the scope of a relatively modest budget.