Sarah Levy 5/5
Lara Everly’s SELAH is a quietly devastating and unexpectedly funny road movie that transforms a cross-country puppy delivery into a powerful exploration of female autonomy, reproductive choice, and the lengths young women will go to reclaim control over their own lives.
Anchored by a remarkable breakout performance from Birdie Silverstein, the film follows seventeen-year-old Selah as she drives from Texas to California carrying far more than precious cargo. What begins as a scrappy hustle gradually reveals itself to be a desperate act of self-determination, forcing audiences to confront the impossible choices many young women face when access, support, and understanding are out of reach.
Everly refuses to simplify Selah into either a victim or a hero. She is stubborn, resourceful, sometimes reckless, and entirely human. The film’s greatest strength lies in its willingness to allow its protagonist the complexity so often denied to young women on screen. Selah’s journey is not about seeking permission; it is about claiming agency in a world determined to make decisions for her.
The film’s emotional core resonates most deeply through its exploration of bodily autonomy. Without resorting to slogans or didactic messaging, SELAH makes a compelling case that women and girls deserve the right to make decisions about their own bodies and futures. The film understands that reproductive choice is not an abstract political debate but a deeply personal reality, shaped by circumstance, fear, hope, and individual conviction.
Chloe Weaver’s cinematography beautifully captures both the vastness of the American landscape and the isolation Selah experiences within it. Endless highways become visual metaphors for freedom and uncertainty, while intimate close-ups reveal the emotional burden carried beneath her hardened exterior.
The relationship between Selah and her mother adds further nuance, presenting generational tensions around responsibility, motherhood, and choice without reducing either perspective to a simple argument. The film acknowledges the complexity of these conversations while remaining firmly centred on Selah’s right to determine her own path.
What makes SELAH particularly effective is Everly’s use of humour. Darkly comic moments puncture the tension and make the film’s more difficult themes accessible without diminishing their seriousness. The result is a work that feels both entertaining and urgent.
At a time when women’s bodily autonomy remains fiercely contested, SELAH arrives as an important and deeply empathetic piece of filmmaking. It is a visually striking, emotionally resonant reminder that the right to make decisions about one’s own body is fundamental, and that young women deserve the freedom, dignity, and support to shape their own futures.
A standout short at Tribeca, SELAH confirms Lara Everly as a filmmaker unafraid to tackle difficult subjects with intelligence, compassion, and a distinctly female gaze.
