![\"A](\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/745522\/original\/file-20260702-57-nwvbu1.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip\")
<\/a><\/p>\n Flo basks in online admiration.
\n Three<\/p>\n
There\u2019s something else brewing, though. At times the women are hounded by whispered overlapping lines of poetry that grow to a scream. There are dream-like images of the house glitching, or being destroyed by a storm. <\/p>\n
We are watching a spiralling mental health crisis, and things are coming to a head. <\/p>\n
Finding your way<\/p>\n
As each woman implodes, the series questions what it means to \u201csucceed\u201d, or to have a \u201cnormal\u201d life. <\/p>\n
It finds the clash between internal and external pressures, between ambition and social expectation, to be potentially irreconcilable. <\/p>\n
The question becomes more about how an individual finds their own meaningful path \u2013 but how can you do this when you can\u2019t find your voice, and don\u2019t even know who you are?<\/p>\n
The show is very well made. The episodes, all directed by Robyn Grace, are well balanced and the character arcs and conflicts are compelling. It is shot beautifully by cinematographer David Paul, particularly scenes set on the streets of Wellington at night. The performances are also impressive. These are complex, demanding roles: physical and intense, sometimes hilarious and often laced with pathos.<\/p>\n
In a time where reboots, sequels and literary adaptations are cornerstones of the entertainment industry, Head Girl is also a fascinating and possibly unique exercise in working with an author\u2019s material. It draws directly from many poems from Daly Sadgrove\u2019s collection, particularly the title work, the sad and funny I Used To Be Head Girl Of My High School And Now I Am A Massive Cunt, which reflects on ambition, disappointment and depression. <\/p>\n
The collection directly informs the work\u2019s characters, and their intense responses to the world. The series taps into the poetry\u2019s combination of dry observation, gallows humour, vulgarity and absurdity, and then finds ways to express these elements creatively through sound and image. <\/p>\n