Girls Will Be Girls

The movie has your attention from the first scene, they get everything right the casting, the location, the costumes, everything!!, But this movie takes its time to build up to what it's trying to tell you. How a young girl Mira is exploring her sexuality and love in this patriarchal world. Yet, it is one of the best school romances made in India.

Plot of th movie revolves around Mira, the head prefect of her school, she dealing to meet with her, her parents and her teacher's expectations of her school results, maintaining a decipline in her school irrespective of them being her friends but at the same time she is exploring herself. This coming of age movie is similar to most coming of age movies but has got almost everything right!!

I am stealing: every one has their key, you just need to find them, and ofcourse the school romance, the tention of the first kiss.

The coming of age process is different for everyone, and that's especially true for those of different generations. Those who underwent this rite of passage years ago, however, arguably may have faced more challenges and restrictions than what's present in these more liberated and open-minded times, and such individuals may be somewhat envious of the privileges that have been afforded their younger counterparts. That's very much the case with Anila (Kani Kusruti) and her teenage daughter, Mira (Preeti Panigrahi), who has (or at least should have) a comparatively easier time with this than her mother did. Nevertheless, Anila still expects Mira to conform to the rigid standards of her own youth, enrolling her in a strict Himalayan boarding school and hovering around her like an overprotective helicopter parent, particularly when she befriends a young man, Sri (Kesav Binoy Kiron), who becomes a budding - if severely restricted - romantic interest. Despite these constraints, though, Mira is supremely curious to clandestinely explore her emerging sexuality and female drives while at least superficially maintaining the image of propriety expected of a young Indian girl. Matters become further complicated, however, when Anila takes more than a passing supervisory interest in her daughter's new beau, a dynamic that produces added friction between mother and daughter. As if adolescence weren't complicated enough in itself, these circumstances raise the tension level inside the family household, in the relationship between the two youngsters and in the mind of someone who's trying to figure out her life under conditions fraught with confusion, contradiction, constraint and more than a few double standards. Writer-director Shuchi Talati's debut feature takes a nuanced, mature look at what can often be a baffling time of life, one that's made even more complex by the potent influences impacting it. The film tends to fizzle somewhat as it approaches its conclusion, almost as if the director doesn't quite know how to wrap up the story. But that doesn't hinder the production overall when it comes to covering some previously unexplored fertile ground when it comes to a subject that's often handled tritely and riddled with clichés. This recipient of two Independent Spirit Awards - for Kusruti's supporting performance and as a candidate for the competition's John Cassavetes Award - definitely makes a mark among 2024's releases, even if, as the premiere offering from a new filmmaker, it could use some shoring up at times. That aside, though, "Girls Will Be Girls" is an impressive start for a promising new auteur, one well worth streaming online. Indeed, through this work, audiences may never view the coming of age process in quite the same way ever again.

But to tell that, the film raises your expectations and slaughters them using its own hands. There's a nice group of actors, and a lucky handy teddy bear. But this is nothing new. And children nowadays experience such a phase much earlier in their lives. So while watching it, most of us can get a glimpse of some irrational delusions of the director.

I can understand it's compulsory to speak in English inside the institutions but the film itself here is the institution. Language matters a lot, and that's a reason why it can't reach out to many. Sometimes it feels like Bombay with mountains. Local dialect exist krta hai?

Anyways, makers should talk with students directly, make a nice use of their experiences.

Nice attempt, best wishes.

Well, I haven't watched any of Shuchi Talati's short films yet, so this is my first exposure to her work. And I must say, she exhibits the finesse of a seasoned filmmaker in the coming-of-age drama genre. She's able to extract exceptional performances from her lead trio (Preeti Panigrahi, Kani Kusruti, Kesav Binoy Kiron) and offer very nuanced takes on a conflicting mother-daughter relationship, a teenage romance that gradually leads to sexual awakening, and a mother who's yet to truly come of age herself. I'm not one to complain of its unhurried pacing, minimalist score (the lack of which actually contributes more to certain scenes), and English-speaking characters in mostly non-English-speaking environments.

The boarding school setting does feel like it's part of a distinct universe, but the emotions portrayed in the film are very candid and honest. I particularly loved the plot progression-Mira's urge to understand (and quench) her sexual needs, being heckled by some of her peers at school, trying to avert her boyfriend from giving too much attention to her mother, and figuring out whether her love is just "puppy love" or "big-dog love." When a film doesn't offer answers to every question, it leaves room for further thought. Girls Will Be Girls deserves a lot more attention in my eyes.

Coming-of-age films often face the challenge of portraying the teenage perspective authentically while balancing the unfiltered wisdom of older generations. This film walks that tightrope with near-perfection, capturing the complexities of generational divides and emotional truths.

As a love letter to womanhood and its subtle nuances, unfortunately I can only sympatise with its message. But its emotional depth still resonated. Moments of quiet power gave me chills, and I found myself tearing up toward the end-a testament to its maturity and impact.

Unlike most coming-of-age films that lean on soaring scores to heighten emotions, this one finds beauty in silence. The lack of music, coupled with sharp, subtext-rich dialogue, potrayed with long wide static camera shots speaks volumes without saying much at all. Watching it on the big screen was a delight, made even more memorable by meeting the lead actress who is a true force of nature in this.

Highly recommended.