The Little Sister

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1:53

The Little Sister

Jun 2026

1h 48m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

86%

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42 Reviews

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

When Fatima leaves her close-knit suburban family to study philosophy in Paris, she finds herself caught between her religious upbringing and the freedom of student life in the city.

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Critics Consensus

The Little Sister is a restrained yet powerful coming-of-age drama, elevated by Nadia Melliti's standout performance and an empathetic directorial touch that makes its familiar themes feel deeply personal.

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Tim Grierson

Los Angeles Times

Jun 15, 2026

Herzi navigates toward a hopeful conclusion that doesn’t peddle phony uplift. Fatima still faces a community that won’t embrace her true self. But maybe, at last, she’s willing to be seen.

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Richard Brody

The New Yorker

Jun 9, 2026

Through Melliti’s performance and Herzi’s alertness to her personality, “Little Sister” fills the screen with the passionate physicality behind inner life.

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Robert Daniels

RogerEbert.com

Jun 6, 2026

3/4

A complicated overflow of human recognition, one that’s as real as the beating heart and as earned as "The Little Sister" makes it feel.

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André Didyme-Dôme

Rolling Stone en Español

Aug 14, 2026

It's not just a coming-out story. It's the portrait of a young woman trying to open a door without closing the house she came from forever. And in that painful, silent, and still unfinished search, finds a profoundly true emotion. [Full revie win Spanish]

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Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

Jun 11, 2026

2.5/5

Kudos to Herzl’s stylistic choices and her continued exploration of women furthered into the fringes due to circumstance... but her Kore-eda reminiscent title The Little Sister doesn’t convey the immediacy of its text source.

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Armond White

National Review

Jun 11, 2026

Herzi’s auto-fiction film is less moving than the struggle for self-realization used to be.

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Judith K

@ziqiongmom Sep 30, 2026

This movie provided me an honest look at a coming of age story in a different environment. Its heroine is an adolescent devout Muslim in a close family. However, unbeknown to them, during the course of her senior year and her first year of college, she accepts the fact that she is a lesbian. Since the movie takes place in Paris and a surrounding suburb inhabitated by nonwhite immigrants, this provided me with a viewpoint into a world that I don't normally see on film. It is based on a memoir by the young woman, and its director and its heroine are also young. I think this is a very good film, especially considering the age of the director and the principal actress, and recommend seeing it.

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Joan M

@RT15816235 Jun 10, 2026

The Little Sister is easily one of my favorite movies now. I can’t lie, I’m low key obsessed with it. It just feels so real and emotional without being over the top. The story and characters really stick with you after watching. One of those movies that quietly hits you and stays in your head long after. Really loved it.

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Marie Ange U

@Mahari Jun 8, 2026

The little sister is now on the list of my favorite movie. i think i am going crazy about this movie.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Jun 5, 2026

Success in 1 hour and 48 minutes. Original and loving it.

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Hafsia Herzi

Director

Nadia Melliti

Fatima

Park Ji-min

Ji-Na

Amina Ben Mohamed

Actor

Rita Benmannana

Actor

Melissa Guers

Actor

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The Little Sister: Trailer 1

1:53

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Synopsis

When Fatima leaves her close-knit suburban family to study philosophy in Paris, she finds herself caught between her religious upbringing and the freedom of student life in the city.

Director: Hafsia Herzi
Producer: Julie Billy, Naomi Denamur
Screenwriter: Hafsia Herzi
Distributor: Strand Releasing
Production Co: June Films
Genre: Drama
Original Language: French (France)
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 5, 2026, Limited
Runtime: 1h 48m

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