Girl won four awards at the Cannes Film Festival last year and was nominated to 9 Magritte Awards. It was also Belgium’s entry to the Oscar for best foreign-language film. When a dance school accepts her, Lara has the opportunity to realize her dream and become a professional ballerina. The dancing takes a toll on her body, but her biggest obstacle is that she was born into the body of a boy. Girl illustrates the trans teenage experience with sensitivity, slowly and humanly making Lara’s anguish become the viewer’s. Based on a true story.
Synopsis
A promising teenage dancer enrolls at a prestigious ballet school while grappling with her gender dysphoria.
This movie should be regarded as a must-see for cisgender individuals who would like to have a window into the world trans folks have to struggle for even the most basic, most personal rights and freedoms. I usually am dismayed when a trans individual, especially an adult is not portrayed accurately in a movie/television series, which often is the case but even with a few flaws, this film does not feel unrealistic and does not sugarcoat the essence. It is not really heavy in dialogues and gives the viewer enough opportunity to observe and just ingest the material and ask questions, start wondering. Worth the time.
Hard to watch at times but respectful to the issues addressed by this film.