An "arty" middle school girls has no friends until she gets a special sketchbook for her birthday.

Juror comments: I like the concept of the plot, and it is somewhat relatable as an artist myself.

The plot of Making Friends is pretty good and the execution is very basic. The film plays out exactly like how you'd expect it to; there's no real sense of conflict or growth. There's no build up to Greta learning the moral of the film, she just does. I didn't particularly care for the narration at the beginning.

The story follows Greta, a lonely middle school artist who receives a special magic sketchbook for her birthday.

I like the idea of the story, but the pacing feels somewhat rushed. There is not much of a set up for character arcs and the moral has no build up. Greta just learns the moral at the end from out of nowhere. The cinematography is quite good, aside from one over the shoulder shot where a majority of the screen is covered by Greta. There are very subtle special effects that are entirely believable. The characters are very one dimensional. The only personality traits that Greta (Clementine Adams) has are being an artist and being lonely. Meanwhile Lucy (Virginia Adams) has no discernible personality. The film doesn't take time to tell us anything about the characters or develop the story naturally, it just rushes to the message at the end.

The message I get from this is that even if you feel lonely, there's always someone out there for you.

I give this film 3 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 6 to 14. Reviewed by Calista B., KIDS FIRST!