TOMBOY (Céline Sciamma). 84 minutes. Subtitled. Opens Friday (December 2). For venues and times, see Movies. Rating: NNNN
Céline Sciamma’s compelling Tomboy has the wrong title. Laure (Zoé Héran) is not a football-playing tomboy who wishes she could have the freedom of movement boys are entitled to. Hers is a trans story – and a powerful one.
When Laure moves with her family to a suburb outside Paris, she introduces herself to girl on the block Lisa (Jeanne Disson) as Mikhael. The neighbourhood kids welcome the new boy, and soon Lisa develops a crush on Mikhael, who’s growing comfortable with his new identity. He’s even fashioned a penis out of Play-Doh to stuff into his swim trunks. But as the first day of school draws near – when Mikhael will surely be outed – the tension deepens.
Sciamma sets almost all the action among the preteens, creating a vivid portrait of kid culture. When not kicking ass at soccer, Laure is at home with her family. Her parents, though loving, are ill-equipped to deal with their daughter’s gender issues. But she has a beautifully drawn relationship with her younger sister, Jeanne (Malonn Lévana), who totally gets it.
The actors are sensational. Lévana’s performance would be considered remarkably complex even if she weren’t under the age of seven. And Héran is fearless as the gender-variant Laure. A scene in which she examines her body in the mirror is gorgeous in the way it evokes her aching desire to be a boy.
This film is not – despite what you read elsewhere – a lesbian coming-of-age story. Laure doesn’t want to be Mikhael because she’s a budding dyke hot for girls. She calls herself Mikhael because she relates to being a boy.
Forget the sketchy title. Tomboy is terrific.
