Girls Will Be Girls

Beautiful arthousery with minimal score and embellishment throughout. Yet, this piece brings forth Mira's raw coming-of-age, squashed amidst conventionalities and retrogrades. To watch this unfold was high-key disturbing-whether the makers intended the innuendos or not. The reality of this creation, basking in truth, was commendable, making this a worthwhile watch. Kani Kusruti and Preeti Panigrahi portray their mother-daughter relationship so beautifully. The friendships, the sexual awakening, the hatred, the rivalry-we have all seen it and been through it.

Several aspects felt so incoherent. Is she a hosteller? Why is she home often? Does her dad appear and disappear as per his fictional convenience? There was nothing to hold these elements together while the makers were busy weaving something else. Art is not always supposed to make sense, but loopholes are rarely pardoned in such instances.

Rating - 3.75/5

A beautiful tale portraying the insecurities,foibles,whims and fancies of a young girl through a realistic template.

The story moves through the life of a young obedient high school girl developing an infatuation and how the mother diplomatically brings her teenage daughter to a stage of self realisation about the fantasies and immature behaviour in a teenage girl.

Shuchi Talati has conceived a sublime thought for the movie and has executed it perfectly onto the screen. She has effortlessly taken the viewers through contents like sexuality,sex education,self pleasure,self exploration and immature relationships through intricate moments that can be well connected by everyone who have passed through that life stage. The intriguing screenplay has kept the audience completely attached to the screens with exemplary performances from the central characters.

Splendid performance by Preeti Panigrahi showing raw emotions from love, excitement and anxiety to lost,void and conflict. Subtle performance by Kani Kusruthi as a caring mother. Impressive performances were made by Kesav Binoy,Devika Shahani & Kajol Chugh.

Special mention to the Cinematographer,the editor & the casting director for their effort in giving this timeless visual craft.

The audience after closure of the movie may feel that whether Shuchi has given the title to the movie on a pessimistic note. A great movie that is worth watching to cherish your adolescence fantasies and mischievousness.

Watched this at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

Filmmaker Shuchi Talati creates a beautiful, tender and complex story on exploring female sexuality, culture, and mother & daughter relationship with strong performances, great camerawork, and ambitious writing. Talati's writing and direction felt genuine, sweet and nature on capturing the characters interactions and personalities that were well-developed and interesting and approaching the themes and cultures of India with sweet tenderness and complexity.

The camerawork shooting in 4:3 aspect ratio felt purposeful and helped create the atmosphere of the setting. Many of the performances are really good and the characters are interesting as I felt genuine connection and investment to the characters. You are able to get engagement, connection and understanding of many of the characters and the mother and daughter aspects were strong. Good costumes and production designs throughout as well.

The only gripe I have is that I felt certain aspects were a little too long and could have been shorten.

Art-house India cinema is interesting as they are not something I have often seen but Girls Will Be Girls is likely going to be my newest favorite art-house India movie.

The movie is well crafted and acted. All actors were nice and were able to evoke the right emotions in the viewers.

It took us back to our school days when we first time experience bully, sexual development and how to control it. We didnt knew.

I was into the movie, found almost all the technicalities to be near perfect. How the boy and girl meet and come together. Of course it was the pre smartphone era, how to they exchanged numbers and the intricate plan to call, I am sure it brought a nostalgic memory to so many 90s kinds. It really hit the right cord. Totally loved it.

In simple, its a story about how a girl in her school days discovers about her sexuality. I must appreciate the director and the writer for this movie.

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.