Tomboy

An amazing performance in a film about a girl breaking the gender rules of childhood
Tomboy is an extraordinary little film from France that is really worth tracking down and seeing, partly because of the manner in which Céline Sciamma - who directed and also wrote the screenplay - has crafted a film that unfolds in such an unaffected and natural way that it feels like you're actually watching a slice of life, and partly because of the truly amazing performance by the girl, Zoé Héran, who plays the film's title character.

Because of the title, Tomboy (which is in fact the title it was originally released under in France), we know exactly what to expect. So when the film begins with what appears to be a ten-year-old boy (Zoé Héran) riding in a car with his father (Mathieu Demy), we already know that he is in fact a she, the proverbial tomboy who prefers to look and act like one of the boys. But as they head towards the new town where her family is moving to and where her mother (Sophie Cattani) and six-year-old younger...

It breaks my heart...
Childhood is such a tricky time in one's life. You are bombarded with feelings you don't wholly understand and these feelings can grow into something that haunts you as an adult. What should otherwise be a carefree and joyous time in one's life can become an internalized nightmare for those unable or unwilling to explore their own emotional complexities; and what child is up for that task? I am still grappling with elements of my own childhood, moments in time that confuse me still, and I'm nearly thirty years of age. While watching a film like `Tomboy' I'm literally reduced to tears because I see so much of me and so much of my own confused childhood that I can only wish for something easier for my own children.

And yet, does easy really sculpt an adult?

`Tomboy' tells the story of ten-year-old Laure. Laure, while female, choses to identify as a male. She dresses like a boy, walks like a boy, acts like a boy. She even sits like a boy. Because of this,...

Children and Their Peers Coping Better then Adults
TOMBOY is a rare gem of a film. Writer/Director Céline Sciamma has created a story that is as genuinely tender about a subject that is becoming more discussed - transgender journeys - that in addition to being a film of brilliance it also demonstrates that in many ways, children deal with variations of normal better than adults. Sciamma presents this fact in such a subtle manner that it is only in retrospect that the impact of the film is comprehended.

A very loving family - the pregnant mother (Sophie Cattani), the tender father (Mathieu Demy), and two daughters - have just moved into a new neighborhood during the summer months. The younger daughter Jeanne (Malonn Lévana) is full of joy and creativity and is devoted to her older sister Laure (Zoé Héran - an extraordinary young actress). Laure dresses as a boy and going out to meet the new neighbors changes names to Micha