Review of Tomboy (2011) by August S — 31 Oct 2011

A consciousness of their own gender strikes children at different ages and in different ways. Some embrace their pink and sparkly girly side early on. Others prefer football and fighting. Some of those who prefer football and fighting are girls. Some of those who prefer to sparkle are boys.

Up to a certain point, most people are fine with this. It's harmless, unnoticed or amusing. But there comes a point where some people become uneasy with a subversion of gender stereotype: it isn't a game any more. The kid is no longer playacting the opposite gender but rejecting their own.

This is the situation faced by the protagonist of Tomboy, who plays a sly, daring and ultimately desperate game with their own gender identity. This game would appear to have less to do with sexual orientation per se, and more to do with the behaviours permitted to different genders.

Your heart goes out to this child on the cusp of adolescence. The film is not a polemic, setting out arguments for a change in attitudes, but a heart-breaking portrayal of what it means to be caught outside prescribed norms, what it is to passionately long for the impossible.

A must-see if you've ever felt ill at ease with expectations tied to your gender, and a beautifully performed and intriguing drama even if you haven't.