Tomboy

French writer/director Céline Sciamma follows up her debut feature Water Lilies (2007) with this wonderfully lighthearted tale of childhood, friendship, and gender identity. When ten-year-old Laure's family moves to the quiet Marne valley near Paris during the summer months, Laure pretends to be a boy when she meets the neighbourhood kids. With her close-cropped haircut, plain features, athletic abilities, and introverted ways, Laure’s new persona of Mikäel fits her well. Her six-year-old sister Jeanne doesn’t understand the game Laure/Mikäel is playing with their new group of friends, but she happily goes along with it. Laure herself doesn’t fully understand what she’s doing—after all, she’ll soon be going to school with the kids she’s befriended—but she wants to keep up the pretence for as long as she/he can get away with it.

Unmistakably French in its approach to childhood sexuality, Tomboy is a wonderful coming-of-age picture rather than an "issue film” that explores a hot-button topic. While there is plenty of internal and external conflict, drama and comedy in this minimalist, low-budget indie, Sciamma’s naturalistic storytelling and sharply observed direction result in a movie of specificity, authenticity, and universal understanding. Regardless of whether viewers experienced any gender confusion or experimentation in their pre-teen years, everyone can identify with this picture's young protagonist. Zoe Heran is a revelation in the lead role, giving one of the most unaffected child performances in recent memory. Malonn Levanna as Laurie’s sister, Jeanne Disson is the girl who develops a crush on Mikäel and initiates a tender flirtatious relationship, and all the other child actors here give extraordinary performances.