Girl

First things first: I really enjoyed the movie. Do I think its great? No. But I actually thought the ongoing ballet metaphor (and all the discipline and equilibrium that is involved in classical training) was powerful in showing the development of an "unbalanced" psyche that is trying desperately to cling on to whatever "normal" it can construct. Although certainly repetitive I thought it was inspired,, rather than boring. I also appreciated the non-preachy nature of most of the film, thus I rated it how I rated it. Having now read some of the reviews, I do understand possible objections to the depiction of the characters transition, and how it is shown. But, as in other instances with many other films for many different reasons, I don't know enough to judge. I will be more aware in the future, so for me both film and reviews were very useful.

Girl is the type of movie that will hopefully open your eyes and heart to the little known challenges that face someone caught in the wrong body. I fell in love with Lana almost immediately because of her sensitive, kind, passionate character. She brings you deep into her world of the pain it takes to hide her unwanted features with such elegance and composure. Even when egged on by fellow dancers she holds in her pain in hope of acceptance. Victor Polster is brilliant as the graceful and beautiful Lana. The determination, blood, sweat and tears it takes to be a ballerina is mind boggling but for Lara it is a passion she is not willing to give up on no matter what it takes.

The struggles of a 15 year old girl are more than familiar and already well documented but just imagine and add to that the struggle of a girl living inside a masculine body. Every day being confronted with a body that you don't want and don't feel.The film does an extraordinay job of letting you feel all the emotions this courageous girl has to face each day over and over again. The main actor is simply stunning and if there's any justice, he should receive an oscar for this jaw dropping performance. I'm very displeased with comments as "the pacing is too slow" "or "too much repetition". To me there's only one way of discribing the ordinary life of this girl and the director was 100% right with the repetition and the pacing. Every shot is packed with emotion and tells so much. Just watch the faces of the actors and there's more action and emotion than any boring action movie. All the actors are amazing, the father, doctors, students even her little brother are very natural. It almost felt like a documentary but full of emotion. Naturally the transgender community was the first to protest - being gay myself i can say - what's new. The selfhate of - luckily - a small but loud part of the LGBT is that great that each and every attempt at making a book, film, play, etc... about the community is met with derision and has to be fiercely bashed. "Only a transgender actor could have played the role and felt the right emotions": did they really see the film and can honestly say that the emotions and acting are not spot on ? "Too much focus on the physical aspects": really ??? Ask just any 15-year old and they can tell just how much they are obsessed with their appearance, just add to that a girl in a boys' body, then tell me again why you shouldn't focus on the plysical aspects and their emotional impact. If you want to see a truly great film, it's this one.

Emotionally devastating yet reassuringly empathetic, director Lukas Dhont's GIRL tells the story of transgender ballerina Lara as she seeks to complete her transition while struggling to achieve her dreams. Make no mistake, this is a tough film to watch (as exemplified by the cringing noises and gasps from the elderly women sitting in the row behind me), but it's also a rewarding one. Victor Polster delivers some of the best work of the year in his portrayal of the protagonist, and while some will rightly be bothered by the fact that Polster is a cisgender male actor who cannot ever known firsthand the difficulties that someone like Lara would have gone through her entire life, he nonetheless delivers an arresting, sensitive performance that adroitly examines these devastating struggles. And while the film does focus a fair amount on the struggles that Lara faces through her transition, it also highlights her resilience and courage, which define her more than anything else. I also have to point out that it's been a landmark year for movie dads, with Arieh Worthalter fitting right in with Michael Stuhlbarg's dad from CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, Josh Hamilton's dad from EIGHTH GRADE, and Tracy Letts' dad from LADY BIRD. Worthalter shines as a devoting father who desires nothing more than his daughter's happiness.

If there's one thing I disliked about GIRL, however, it's the slow pacing, which I really started to feel during the last fifteen minutes of the film or so. It's only 105 minutes long but each and every minute is certainly felt. I also wasn't the biggest fan of Dhont cutting the music off during certain scenes (let the scene play out, Dhont!). Despite my complaints and the fact that I might not have loved GIRL, I still certainly believe it's worth watching.

The story about a 16 year old girl named Lara who is born inside a boy's body. She dreams of being a ballerina and works hard for her career ambitions while also undergoing the process of gender confirmation surgery. The central performance by Victor Polster is astonishing; it feels really transcendent to the point where Lara is real and this feels like an intimate documentary. Her psychological and physical struggles are heartbreaking and I couldn't wait to see her succeed. It's beautifully filmed which accompanies its soulful understanding of being human fantastically. It's a tough watch in places but it's an incredibly involving experience and a perfect character study