AllMovie

Italian writer/director Federica Martino makes her feature film debut with the coming-of-age drama Beauty Queen Olivia. Set in the early '80s, tough teenage rebel Olivia (Carolina Felline) lives with her mom Franca (Elena Bonelli) and her abusive stepfather Salvatore (Manrico Gammarota). When the family moves to Rome, Olivia doesn't adapt well to her new all-girls school until she meets the feminine Lilli (Eleonora Materazzo), who runs a fan club in honor of Olivia Newton-John and hosts a weekly beauty pageant. Their unlikely friendship is put on hold when a social worker moves Olivia out of her abusive home and into a juvenile center. When she tries to visit her parents, it turns out she's been abandoned, so she and Lilli set out on a road trip.