I will try to be kind. I know that this is a short film, made with a short amount of money and probably in a short amount of time, but the end result is a short waste of time. The only way to save it would be to cut twelve minutes.
An angry young Asian woman (Latcheco), mad at her mother for dying when she was a little girl, takes it out on the world by being sullen and verbally abusive. A skater punk (Shaw) sees through her, though, and attempts to break her wall of toughness. With his help, she realizes that the world is a hard place, and forgives her mother for dying by performing some really bad poetry at a local coffeehouse.
USC student Abad has a good sense for the camera, and there is nothing technically appalling about “Tough Girl”. Alas, Abad the director should have fired Abad the writer before shooting commenced. The dialogue is painfully bad and sophomoric (the poetry reading, in particular, is a hoot). The actors all look good and display all the natural warmth and chemistry of department store mannequins.
If this is the best USC can give us, there is no hope for the future.
