Review of Tomboy (2011) by Daniel B — 24 Sep 2011

10 year old Laure moves into a new neighborhood with her family. Itâ(TM)s the end of summer and school is still out, which means that Laure and her kid sister Jeanne get to know the kids from their neighborhood through leisure and fun. Laure uses this opportunity to introduce herself as a boy called Michaël.

The movie is very beautiful and on the surface idealized. At first I thought that the way Laureâ(TM)s family was depicted and how easily the children accept Michaël and his sister was a bit too sugar coated. It all worked well in the end though, giving the presentation a defined aesthetic dimension.

I canâ(TM)t sing enough praises for Zoà (C) Hà (C)ran, who brings Laure/Michaël alive so intensely. All the other child actors do a good job as well. Writer/director Cà (C)line Sciamma manages somehow to make the interaction between the children feel completely authentic but extremely interesting as drama. This achievement reminded me of Kazuo Ishiguroâ(TM)s brilliant novel âNever Let Me Goâ? which does the same but with an adult narrator reminiscing about her childhood.

Organic and simple, but in all its subtlety extremely captivating, âTomboyâ? emerges as a class A piece of cinema. The uncomplicated way the film deals with heavy issues of gender and identity is a joy to behold, especially as the whole is still packed with thoughts and meanings. Sometimes simplicity in the form of clarity equals depth.