A Woman's Picture

“Challenging the common perception of Hollywood’s ‘coming-of- age’ story, in which the struggle to become oneself arises only once in a lifetime, typically as an adolescent’s awakening, or in the form of a clichéd romantic quest with a ‘happily ever after’ ending, Garcia refreshingly insists that the search for consciousness and meaning, toward wholeness and completion, is a lifelong, ongoing process. By freeing the cinematic quest from the conventional confines of the coming-of-age genre, Garcia boldly reframes the quest for individuation as one that challenges patriarchy and its values rather than conforming to, and thus perpetuating, the norms of a sexist society.”

Jessica Y. Lee, Cineaste