Everyone’s Sorry Nowadays (Migom, 2026) Review: Exploring Growing up Through the Eyes of an Imaginative Young Girl
Hailey Passmore
Remarkable, means worth while. Worth while means important.
Capturing that pure moment between childhood, adolescence and maturity can be the most magical and yet difficult time. Each experience this period of life differently, and yet we can still see ourselves in how those younger than us might currently be struggling. Frederike Migom’s Everyone’s Sorry Nowadays is a creative and someone fantastical look into the mind of a young girl as she struggles with growing up and understanding herself. Filled with emotion and self-expression, this film is a tender and imaginative story about self-discovery, aspirations and finding your place in your world.
At 13-years-old, Bianca (Lisa Vanhemelrijck) is curious and filled with spirit. Living with a mother (Laurence Roothooft) whose full attention and love is directed at a younger brother with his heart condition is too much at times for Bianca. On top of that her father left them for another younger girlfriend, Cruz, who sees Bianca as an out of control teenager. With all adults around her seemingly never listening, Bianca searches for a place where she can feel and be seen.
No matter if we want to admit it or not, we all know what it is like to feel lonely. When Bianca comes onto our screen, we can feel it radiating through her. She wishes to be seen and heard by the adults in her life, but there is always more to it than that. It is a fundamental part of growing up, finally understanding the actions of the grown ups around you. Yet this takes time, or even a specific event, to change our perspectives as adolescents.
Scripted brilliantly, filled with imagination, Migom clearly knew ways in which to explore the mind of a newly turned teenager. Instead of keeping the world at a distance, she brings her audience into Bianca’s mind by making reality a little less realistic. The idea of cinema being able to show what one could not see in real life is why we go to the movies. In her script, Migom allows for moments of magic to fly across the screen. We are reminded that kids see the world differently, and though the film is about Bianca coming into maturity, both ages involved are explored in different ways.
As she acts out, Bianca is relatable for both the young but also the more mature viewer. When her favourite celebrity actor, Billie King (Sachli Gholamalizad), suddenly arrives in her home, everything shifts. One single scorching hot summer day all of a sudden turns into more than Bianca could have ever expected. With heightened emotions and her vivid imagination, a realization within Bianca rises to the surface. Her outlook on life changes as she begins to understand the adults around her and what it means to grow up.
Migom knows how to play it right. When things change for Bianca, the film changes for the audience as well. Though we are only privy to the present, there is a feeling that Bianca has not had much exterior exposure for sometime. She forgets how to act, or still keeps to her childish roots. As she meets her television infatuation, Billie, something changes in her. Some of us in the audience recognize it immediately. That feeling of being wanted by someone older than you, someone female and older than you. Difficult to put into words, instead Migom puts it into images instead. Dreamlike moments grace the screen as Bianca begins to feel things she has not felt before.
For Migom to create such a compelling tale for younger audiences shows the need for these stories to be told. While yes there have been many a film that focus on a younger protagonist, not many focus on the mentality of the youth in the present. Children often have a difficult time figuring out who they are. They also are not the best when it comes to listening to adults either. Combining these two well known facts, Everyone’s Sorry Nowadays takes one young girl who needs to discover growing up, and gives her the chance to explore her sexuality as well. It truly is remarkable how Migom combines many different character qualities with moments in the film to share Bianca’s mind.
Another beautiful and welcoming piece from the 76th Berlin Film Festival’s Generation Program, Everyone’s Sorry Nowadays premiered on Sunday 15 February, 2026. With a quick turnaround, our protagonist learns what it means to grow up and be an older sister at the same time. Not only teaching the audience about the importance of giving children the space to be, but giving children the chance to understand they are not alone.
Remarkable, means worth while. Worth while means important.
Capturing that pure moment between childhood, adolescence and maturity can be the most magical and yet difficult time. We each experience this period of life differently. Yet we can still see ourselves in how those younger than us might currently be struggling. Everyone’s Sorry Nowadays is a creative and fantastical look into the struggles of growing up and understanding yourself. Writer-director Frekerike Migom filled it emotion and self-expression. It is a tender and imaginative story about self-discovery, aspirations and finding your place in your world.
At 13-years-old, Bianca (Lisa Vanhemelrijck) is curious and filled with spirit. Living with a mother (Laurence Roothooft) whose full attention and love is directed at a younger brother with his heart condition is too much at times for Bianca. On top of that her father left them for another younger girlfriend, Cruz, who sees Bianca as an out of control teenager. With all adults around her seemingly never listening, Bianca searches for a place where she can feel and be seen.
No matter if we want to admit it or not, we all know what it is like to feel lonely. When Bianca comes onto our screen, we can feel it radiating through her. She wishes to be seen and heard by the adults in her life, but there is always more to it than that. It is a fundamental part of growing up, finally understanding the actions of the grown ups around you. Yet this takes time, or even a specific event, to change our perspectives as adolescents.
Scripted brilliantly, filled with imagination, Migom clearly knew ways in which to explore the mind of a newly turned teenager. Instead of keeping the world afar, she brings her audience into Bianca’s mind by making reality a little less realistic. The idea of cinema being able to show what one could not see in real life is why we go to the movies. In her script, Migom allows for moments of magic to fly across the screen. We are reminded that kids see the world differently, and though the film is about Bianca coming into maturity, both ages involved are explored in different ways.
As she acts out, Bianca is relatable for both the young but also the more mature viewer. When her favourite celebrity actor, Billie King (Sachli Gholamalizad), suddenly arrives in her home, everything shifts. One single scorching hot summer day all of a sudden turns into more than Bianca could have ever expected. With heightened emotions and her vivid imagination, a realization within Bianca rises to the surface. Her outlook on life changes as she begins to understand the adults around her and what it means to grow up.
Migom knows how to play it right. When things change for Bianca, the film changes for the audience as well. Though we are only privy to the present, there is a feeling that Bianca has not had much exterior exposure for sometime. She forgets how to act, or still keeps to her childish roots. As she meets her television infatuation, Billie, something changes in her. Some of us in the audience recognize it immediately. That feeling of being wanted by someone older than you, someone female and older than you. Difficult to put into words, instead Migom puts it into images instead. Dreamlike moments grace the screen as Bianca begins to feel things she has not felt before.
For Migom to create such a compelling tale for younger audiences shows the need for these stories to be told. While yes there have been many a film that focus on a younger protagonist, not many focus on the mentality of the youth in the present. Children often have a difficult time figuring out who they are. They also are not the best when it comes to listening to adults either. Combining these two well known facts, Everyone’s Sorry Nowadays takes one young girl who needs to discover growing up, and gives her the chance to explore her sexuality as well. It truly is remarkable how Migom combines many different character qualities with moments in the film to share Bianca’s mind.
Another beautiful and welcoming piece from the 76th Berlin Film Festival’s Generation Program. Everyone’s Sorry Nowadays premiered on Sunday 15 February, 2026. Our protagonist learns what it means to grow up and be an older sister at the same time. Not only teaching the audience about the importance of giving children the space to be, but giving children the chance to understand they are not alone.
