Sink or Swim

"I don't necessarily need to be popular," Janet says at home. But the next moment, her eyes are full of tears, because she gets teased at primary school and feels lonely. It is hard to talk to her mother and older brother about it. But Janet, who came up with the idea for this documentary herself, does talk to the camera: she says she feels happy when she is swimming and taking a course to learn to stand up for herself. Director Rishu Veldhuis films under water in the pool and makes many close-ups of the children's faces, like on the final day at school, when many girls are crying. But not Janet - in the end, she goes to secondary school with a little more self-confidence. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)