Black Sheep

Synopsis

Thirteen-year-old Ling feels increasingly uncomfortable with the expectations surrounding her after her mother remarries. Meeting Kitty, an older teenager whose independence seems to offer an alternative way of living, changes the direction of that unease. Admiration develops into romantic feeling, and Ling begins trying to become someone capable of protecting the girl she loves. The desire to grow stronger nevertheless raises another problem: changing for another person can make it harder to recognize what belongs to oneself. The coming-of-age story follows attraction alongside the pressures of family and self-invention. Ling must discover whether the freedom she sees in Kitty can help her understand her own life, rather than simply replacing one set of expectations with another image she feels required to inhabit.