Girls On Wire Review: Melodramatic Mess

Girls On Wire is a jumbled thriller that displays excellent technical prowess but ultimately feels unsure of what it wants to be.

But as the remaining two hours of Girls on Wire slowly unravel, it becomes increasingly clear that this story isn’t what it first presents itself as, but rather something much less engaging and significantly messier.

Girls on Wire follows the turbulent relationship between a young runaway named Tian Tian and her cousin Fang Di (Wen Qi), a stunt double for a major film production company. After escaping from a gang of dangerous criminals looking to settle her family’s debts, Tian Tian goes searching for her estranged cousin after five years of not speaking to each other. While Fang Di is hesitant to repair their fractured relationship, the horrors of Tian Tian’s situation gradually reveal themselves and she decides to make an effort to repair their fractured relationship.

As Girls on Wire progresses, its initial promise of an action-packed thriller dissolves into a misguided and often frustrating experience. The film struggles to balance such distantly separate tones – one being the high-stakes survival story hinted at in the opening, the other a slower and more introspective coming-of-age narrative about family and reconciliation. There’s even a socially-charged drama buried deep into the screenplay about the film industry and its frequent neglect of stunt doubles – but instead of combining these aspects into a cohesive and compelling story, Girls on Wire constantly shifts between them in a way that makes neither feel fully developed. What starts out as a pulse-pounding nail-biter quickly shifts into a meandering exploration of the cousins’ dissolved bond – just for the eventual conclusion to lurch back into thriller territory with little buildup or context.

This uneven approach results in a film that feels underwhelming in both aspects. The mature, reflective drama lacks the depth needed to be emotionally compelling, while the thrilling climax feels unearned as it almost comes out of nowhere. The lack of exposition leaves crucial plot points feeling underbaked, making the stakes of the final confrontation and admittedly well-written ending seem unclear. Audiences may find it difficult to fully engage with Girls on Wire because of these flaws; there are several great ideas burned into Qu’s screenplay, but it sadly feels a handful of revisions away from being complete.

Despite this messiness, there’s still plenty to enjoy about Girls on Wire. The film boasts two excellent lead performances from Haocun and Qi, whose electric rapport is the beating heart of this story; the narrative simply doesn’t work without this chemistry, and these actresses absolutely nail it. Qu’s screenplay is also very effective in this regard, offering some effective flashbacks to draw comparisons between the cousins’ childhoods and the present day. This allows the film to comment astutely on the self-destructive nature of relationships, and the way familial bonds can be eroded through personal trauma and selfishness.

Ultimately, Girls on Wire is a project with excellent ideas but a jumbled and scattered execution. The film never feels quite sure whether it’s trying to be a thriller, a social satire, or a family drama, which makes for a disorienting watch that could’ve been much more effective had it merely adhered to one particular style. Qu’s directorial style is so tactile and atmospheric, but the writing and plot progression feels ironically bland in comparison.

Girls on Wire premiered at the Berlin Film Festival on February 17, 2025. Read our Berlin Film Festival reviews!