As a filmmaker myself, I appreciate the execution of experimental filmmaking. Crafting and producing a film–any film–is no easy task and is a feat in and of itself. Even if it’s challenging to enjoy every aspect of experimental films, you can often find some appreciation whether it’s the brilliant cinematography, vibrant colors, interesting sound design, or bizarre acting. While experimental films aren’t usually my favorite kind of film as a member of the audience, I certainly found beauty in Celia Rowlson-Hall‘s acclaimed indie drama, Ma, which played at this year’s Sun Valley Film Festival.

Ma opens with a gorgeous silhouette of a desert landscape. Our lead (played by Hall) is found wandering the desert with nothing more than a long, ratty tee-shirt, and a pair of bright red cowboy boots she may have stolen from Teddy “West-Side” Mosby. Eventually, this woman emerges from the desert to a road and is met by Daniel (Andrew Pastides)—who stops for her. She climbs atop his hood and the two drive to a dumpy motor lodge where “Ma” is raped while her driver sleeps in the car. The next morning, the two continue to drive—this time with our leading lady riding in the car with the driver. The two then travel without a destination and spend their nights in a new motor lodge. We are faced with great metaphoric imagery—sand pouring out of paintings and sink faucets—and some wonderful choreography from the writer/director/lead Celia Rowlson-Hall.

Ma is absolutely beautiful. The sound design used in the film is incredible considering it contains almost no dialog. As an experimental film, it knocks it out of the park in many ways. With its slow pacing, difficult narrative, and often confusing visuals, the film may be a bit too surreal for the average movie-goer. As a piece of art and a specimen of visual poetry, Ma is a welcomed addition to the cannon of the medium.

In the crowded world of coming-of-age indies, Leah Meyerhoff’s debut feature I Believe in Unicorns manages to stand out. Using highly stylized visuals, the film transforms the Bay area surroundings into a magical fantasy land of a teenage girl’s mind, often utilizing dreamlike hallucinations and stop-motion animation to represent her feelings. Meyerhoff crafts a delicate observation of young lust from a paper-thin but universal story, showing the difficulties of transitioning into adulthood and leaving behind fairy tale fantasies. The film feels deeply personal—even autobiographical—as Meyerhoff uses her actual mother in the film and an opening credit montage of home videos that feel inspired by her own childhood memories.

Free-spirited high-schooler Davina (Natalia Dyer) seeks refuge from the demands of her wheelchair-bound mother (Toni Meyerhoff), whom she’s been the sole caretaker of for most of her life. Early in the film she stumbles upon a cigarette-smoking skateboarder named Sterling (Peter Vack). The attraction to him is immediate. His energetic and rebellious personality is exactly the kind of change Davina hopes will liberate her from her current monotonous routine. They hit it off right away, bonding over the lack of father figures in their lives and the desire for adventure. Soon they’re spending every spare moment together, and one evening in the back room of a punk rock show, she loses her virginity.

Davina overlooks the early warning signs of Sterling’s aggression, even ignoring the trusted opinion of her best friend, Cassidy (Julia Garner). Soon after their first sexual encounter, Davina gets the cold shoulder after expressing affection towards him. His disinterest only arouses her more. And after a half-assed apology of, “I get that way sometimes,” the two move on as if nothing happened. The very next day, they finally do what they’ve always wanted; escape. Expecting the impromptu road trip would lead to self-discovery, they end up learning more about each other than themselves. For Davina, this means facing the ugly side of Prince Charming and realizing life isn’t a storybook.

I Believe in Unicorns captures the uncertainty of being an aimless teenager—still unsure of who you are or where you want to go. When the two leads set out on a road trip, their destination is simply “anywhere but here.” Moments of childish behavior such as giggling water gun fights and applying temporary tattoos are mixed in with sudden sexual romps and violent outbursts. The most important advice the film offers is, just because you want to be an adult—or even act like one—doesn’t mean you are one. And little do they know, the irony of becoming an adult is, once you are one, it’s only natural to miss the days of being young again. But until you hop over the fence, the grass is always greener on the other side.

Davina has always found living in a fantasy world—depicted with mythical creatures like unicorns and dragons—helps her to escape from the troubles of real life. In an opening scene, we watch her neatly organize the contents of her backpack. Then, using stop-motion, the items crawl back into the backpack on their own. There’s also a great tracking shot of the two walking through a carnival while people pass by on unicycles, tossing flamethrowers, and dancing hula hoopers. Davina and Sterling watch these oddities in astonishment, as if they’re seeing the outside world for the first time. The eye-catching animation sequences are combined with Instagram-filter Super 16mm footage, and give Meyerhoff’s film an astonishing aesthetic that would make Michel Gondry (circa The Science of Sleep) proud.

Dyer puts on a brave performance as an innocent teenager experiencing the most vulnerable stage of her life, facing the harsh realities of the real world. Because the film contains very little dialog, Dyer must rely on body language and facial expressions to convey her emotions. And she handles it well. Her naiveté makes watching the struggle heartbreaking, yet brutally honest. It’s like watching an underdeveloped bird ready to leap from the nest, you want to reach out to help, but some lessons are learned the hard way.

The striking cinematography and strong performances make it possible to overlook some of the flaws and clichés found in the script. For instance, we’re not too concerned with who’s taking care of Davina’s mother while she’s away or the awkward kissing scene between Davina and Cassidy. Instead, the atmospheric dreamworld created by Meyerhoff mesmerizes and reminds us of a time in our own life when we’ve felt vulnerable. I Believe in Unicorns is at times rewarding, heartbreaking and chaotic. But then again, so is the real world.

Released in Los Angeles on June 19th and being released in theaters on July 3rd in San Francisco, I Believe in Unicorns follows the drastic highs and lows of a dangerous young love. Award winning student director Leah Meyerhoff uses magical realism to weave the tale through teenage angst in a love gone bad.

Told from the fantastical and imaginative perspective of 16-year-old Davina (Natalia Dyer), who longs to escape from her role as sole caretaker of her disabled mother when she falls in love with an older boy named Sterling (Peter Vack). I Believe in Unicorns offers a complex look into troubled young love.

Making the official selection for the 2014 SXSW and Edinburgh Film Festivals, the film was also the Grand Jury Prize Winner at the 2014 Atlanta Film Festival and won for Best Original Song at the 2014 Nashville Film Festival. I Believe in Unicorns is currently available on Vimeo On Demand. Also, check out the film’s Facebook page and the official trailer.

Exclusive Behind the Scenes Clip of I Believe in Unicorns

I Believe in Unicorns Movie Poster