A meditation on death and moving exploration of friendship, I Spy With My Little Eye is a breath of fresh air and warm hug all in one. Rarely do friendships last from early childhood to adulthood, but somehow Solveigh (Saskia Rosendahl), Lou (Svenja Jung), and Yalda’s (Soma Pysall) ties survive. Amongst hardships of health (diabetes and eating disorders), assimilation, familial disconnect, and disparate careers, the trio act as support systems for one another, despite general cattiness between young girls. When single mother Solveigh unexpectedly passes, Lou and Yalda are left to pick up the pieces, and plan daughter Sina’s (Marlen A.) future.
Performances are wonderful across the board, but the child actors for the lead girls in their youth are particularly talented. Adult Yalda, played by Pysall, recalls famous French actress, Adèle Exarchopoulos, both in mannerisms and in her appearance. This starring cast is absolutely stunning, as are their childhood counterparts.
Transitions between the past and modern day are seamless: a distracted background blurs to reveal a memory or girlish laughter is heard off to the distance in the bushes. A hazy, light flared aesthetic reminiscent of vintage home videos stylizes happier times, where life was simple and spontaneous. Sheets sway in the wind, as the clouds pass by, relaxing in the freshly cut grass. These flashbacks exist as a 90s time capsule. Wardrobe perfectly captures this nostalgic aesthetic with butterfly clips, space buns, tattoo chokers, eye glitter, and braids buried beneath beachy waves. Stunning landscape cinematography aptly perceives childlike wonder in lazy summer days and silly conversations. Varied saturation reinforces the mood of each scene, whether sullied with tragedy or exploding with joy.
Alisa Kolosova’s drama focuses more on a deconstruction of the girls’ friendship rather than who should take responsibility for Sina, and why. Oddly enough, grandmother Eske (Meret Becker) seems to have no interest, and her rocky relationship with Solveigh is more accepted than genuinely explored. No matter how poor their mother-daughter bond was, Sina is still blood, and the only piece of her daughter remaining. In fact, Elke goes as far as to say, “I only have one daughter, and now there’s nothing left of her,” when speaking with the organization responsible for her burial. This is a bizarre statement to make, given Sina is still in her custody. This extreme lack of connection could have been explored further.
Even the reasoning behind Solveigh’s suicide is barely probed; an eating disorder, diabetes, mommy issues, and a daughter she seems genuinely excited to raise as a single mother don’t seem to be enough evidence. Perhaps this is intentionally left vague, given many real suicides are a surprises to loved ones. The film title itself playfully evokes a double meaning: “I Spy” is played in one sequence by the preteen girls, but the diction also draws on what lies unseen. Friendship ties weaken from issues lying beneath the surface and nuance in language not perceived. Lou and Yalda missed the relatively obvious signs, and as a result, were unable to save their beloved friend before her untimely end.
I Spy With My Little Eye will tug on one’s heartstrings when it premieres in the International Narrative Features Competition at the 2026 Tribeca Film Festival on Sunday, June 7th.
