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Anina Yatay Salas is a pensive redhead who really does not like her name. Each part is a palindrome, which means it reads the same both forwards and backwards. Her schoolmates are always teasing her about this, especially Anina's arch-enemy Yisel. When these two get into a playground fight one day they are sent to the school head who disciplines them with a nerve-racking punishment: they are both given a sealed black envelope which they are not allowed to open for an entire week. Haunted by nightmares, the days drag by endlessly for Anina. She and her inquisitive best friend try to devise all sorts of ways to discover what is inside the envelope. Gradually, Anina begins to realise that not only does Yisel share her fate: she also has much bigger problems to contend with than Anina. Tentatively, the two rivals begin to get to know each other. Narrated by the voice of the young protagonist, the film is able to follow Anina's thought processes and provide an insight into her emotional world. Anina's day-dreams are not always about her troubles and woes – they also reflect her awakening feelings of love. (Berlinale)
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The main character's biggest issue is her name. Her name is Anina Yatay Salas and consists of three palindromes (words that read the same way backward). Anina is a pleasant surprise and an interesting journey into the head of a ten-year-old girl and her problems. Plus, the headmistress invents an interesting punishment for her after she fights a classmate, in the form of a black sealed envelope that she cannot open for a whole week. This movie is a pleasant surprise, if only because this perspective seems very pleasant and, more importantly, quite real. Anina is an ordinary ten-year-old child who can talk back, sometimes be rude, and sometimes just plain naughty. I liked the animation quite a bit, it was interesting and even quite likable, and I also liked the change of style during the sixth birthday part. The soundtrack was also nice, and the overall feel of this movie was enjoyable. Sure, I saw the punchline coming. However, even that could not ruin the good feeling I got from this movie. 7.7/10.
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