Tomboy

Tomboy is the 2011 queer-themed French language film from Céline Sciamma, the director and writer of the 2008 film, Water Lilies. However, Tomboy’s 10-year old main character Laure, tenderly portrayed by Zoé Héran, faces a personal battle with gender as opposed to that of sexuality as in Water Lilies. The film received critical acclaim last year, winning many awards including the Audience Award at the San Francisco Frameline Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.

After moving to a new apartment in a suburb of Paris with her father, heavily pregnant mother and wonderfully mischievous little sister, Jeanne, the film follows Laure as she ventures out in search of new friends. The first face she sees is that of potential love interest, Lisa, to whom she introduces herself to as a boy named Michaël. Instantly captivated, Lisa introduces Michaël to the other neighbourhood boys forcing them to include the sandy-haired newcomer in their games. What follows is a truly enchanting tale of the innocence of childhood and a desire to be accepted for who you are and not who you feel you should be. Set against the back drop of endless hot summer days, the whole film is littered with beautifully poignant scenes including the fashioning of a fake bulge for a swimming trip, and secret squatting in the woods while the other boys pee proudly upright.

The life Michaël has created for himself is soon jeopardised when little Jeanne wants in on the daily adventures, however, in his younger sibling he finds a willing accomplice and the pair share the secret. As the new school year fast approaches and a fight within the group causes a neighbour to pay a visit to Laure’s mother, the truth is inevitably revealed. Laure’s eventual “outing” is cruel in a way that only kids can be with the final blow (Michaël’s trousers being pulled down) being dealt by the one he trusted most, Lisa, hurt from the ridicule she has also received. Don’t be put off though, the film is ultimately uplifting when the story returns to its beginning with a slightly remorseful Lisa asking, for the second time: “What’s your name?”.

The simplistic cinematography reflects the freedom of the group of children that the film is centred on with the French sun almost melting from the screen. By the end of the film you’ll be filled with a sense of nostalgia and a wish to return to a time when everything seemed simpler and before opinions were marred with prejudices. Worth watching when you’re feeling at odds with the world.