Marieme is 16-years old, growing up in a rough area of France with a family that oppresses her regularly. While her mother is never around, working as a nurse to support her children, Marieme is routinely abused by her older brother, who deals drugs for the neighborhood dealer. Marieme is failing at school and struggling in a drug culture that is basically a "boys club" in her neighborhood. One day at school Marieme meets three free-thinking teenage girls, adopting their style and way of life in an effort to find herself through freedom. Celine Sciamma has made two fantastic films about characters attempting to discover themselves and find acceptance in Water Lilies and Tomboy but with Girlhood Sciamma has outdone herself, making one of the better films of the last few years. Calling Girlhood a coming of age film is certainly accurate but it almost feels like a slight when talking about such a nuanced, socially revelant piece of filmmaking. Girlhood features an absolutely beautiful characterization of a woman trying to find herself, searching for acceptance in a hard male- dominated world. Sciamma masterfully uses this rough, drug culture lifestyle as a symbolic representation of our society as a whole, where woman are secondary and double-standards run rampant. Marieme lives in a world where toughness equates to power and respect, making this poor girl confused about herself. These three girls she befriends are her outlet but soon enough it becomes apparent that they also live in the same world as Marieme. Girlhood is as much about gender roles as it's a coming of age story, with Marieme being a character who only gains respect after embracing her masculinty. Her brother is only kind to her after she wins a fight, and the story sees Marieme going to extreme lengths fo appear less feminine. Celine Sciamma's Girlhood is a incredibly well-crafted story about young woman growing up in a male dominated world that is artistically impressive and emotionally resonant.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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