The Vernon Film Society is pleased to present the next film of the 2012 spring season, Tomboy, showing at the Towne Theatre Monday.
Changing homes is always upsetting to children, but with a new neighbourhood comes the opportunity for reinvention.
When Laure (Zoé Héran) and her family move to a Paris suburb, the young girl must make an entirely new set of friends. With her short, cropped hair and boyish looks, Laure decides to pose as a boy, taking on the name Mikael and even cutting her bathing suit in half in order to maintain the illusion. But as school approaches, and her friendship with Lisa (Jeanne Disson) turns into a budding romance, Laure/Mikael is going to have to reveal herself, no matter the consequences.
Writer-director Céline Sciamma is primarily interested in the construction of gender — a process that is probably much less instinctual than we are led to believe. Laure learns by imitation, and the process is so gradual, it is mostly invisible to her nurturing father (Mathieu Demy) and somewhat sterner mom (Sophie Cattani), who are already preoccupied with a late-term pregnancy.
Brilliantly capturing the thrill and anxiety of coming of age, Tomboy is a tender exploration of gender, friendship, and identity wonderfully acted by its young cast.
Tomboy will be shown at the Towne Theatre April 30 at 5:15 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. Tickets are available at the door and one week ahead at the theatre and the Bean Scene for $7. French with English Subtitles.
