I've rarely had less sympathy for a protagonist than I did for Nina, whose self-centered narcissism was quite annoying. But importantly, my sympathy (and empathy) began to improve about 3/4 through the movie, beginning with her sad reaction to the bullfight. Since others might find her more sympathetic from the beginning, maybe they'll find her more engaging.
Like others, I did feel like this was a coming-of-age story, which gave me even greater hope for Nina's future. But even after she became more likable she was making immature decisions and taking selfish actions that derailed my feelings for her.
But at least she wasn't Morad, her love interest, who I found thoroughly detestable for the entire film. Talk about self-centered! Morad is someone who will be stuck in the same town doing virtually nothing with his life until he finally keels over. At least Nina has a shot at making something of her life. You can see the glimmer of hope glowing inside her in the final scenes.
Performances, direction and cinematography were all pretty good, which made the film quite watchable. The last third of the film elevated my score, but the entirety of the plot and emptiness of the characters were just not endearing for me.