Tomboy

Tomboy Laure (Héran) arrives at her new apartment in a leafy French suburb, and soon yearns for more than simply playing inside with her little sister. Venturing out alone into the neighbourhood she meets Lisa (Disson) and, after a snap decision, introduces herself as Michaël, a lie she’ll spend the rest of the summer desperately hiding from her rough-and-tumble friends and especially Lisa, who develops feelings for her alter ego.

Tomboy see Water Lilies’ director Céline Sciamma return to French suburbia with this second, albeit more narrowly focused, tale of girls-not-yet-ladies dealing with burgeoning hormones and sexual discovery. She tells it in a wonderfully contained and heart aching way, drawing natural performances from her young cast with a light touch and thoughtful screenplay.

Sciamma’s camera stays close to the action, producing rich images that transport the viewer back to long summers spent playing outside, and the innocent physicality of youth, creating a film that will resonate with anyone who can remember awkwardly leaving their childhood behind. [Danny Scott]