Tomboy (2011)
Average Rating: 7.8/10
Reviews Counted: 60
Fresh: 58 | Rotten: 2
In tune with the emotion and tribulations of childhood, Tomboy is a charming movie that treats its main subject with warmth and heart.
Average Rating: 7.5/10
Critic Reviews: 21
Fresh: 20 | Rotten: 1
In tune with the emotion and tribulations of childhood, Tomboy is a charming movie that treats its main subject with warmth and heart.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.9/5
User Ratings: 6,501
My Rating
Movie Info
A French family with two daughters, 10-year-old Laure and 6-year-old Jeanne, moves to a new neighborhood during the summer holidays. With her Jean Seberg haircut and tomboy ways, Laure is immediately mistaken for a boy by the local kids and passes herself off as Michael. Filmmaker Céline Sciamma brings a light and charming touch to this drama of childhood gender confusion. Zoe Heran as Laure/Michael and Malonn Levanna as Jeanne are nothing less than brilliant. This is a relationship movie:
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Cast
-
Zoé Héran
Laure / Michaël, Laure/... -
Malonn Lévana
Jeanne -
Jeanne Disson
Lisa -
Sophie Cattani
Laure's Mother, Mother -
Mathieu Demy
Father, Laure's Father -
Yohan Véro
Vince -
Noah Véro
Noah -
Cheyenne Lainé
Cheyenne -
Ryan Boubekri
Ryan
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All Critics (60) | Top Critics (21) | Fresh (58) | Rotten (2) | DVD (1)
Brisk, precisely observed, and bracingly non-preachy in its examination of a very tricky subject.
Top CriticModestly conceived and executed.
"Tomboy" is tender and affectionate.
"Tomboy," a brief and sweetly refreshing French film, is the story of a lie.
Sciamma pictures the story in dappled sunlight and wooded fields that, though not far from dull apartment blocks, have an out-of-time seductiveness.
Open-minded and open-ended, Tomboy is a portrait of pubescence on the brink of chrysalis.
Far from surprising at any point, Tomboy nonetheless holds one's attention though its sheer force of observation.
The director's low-key approach to such a seemingly complex topic really illuminates the subject in both very basic and rather profound ways.
'Tomboy' makes its points about gender identity and confusion without resorting to cheap laughs or overwrought drama.
This exquisite film is as pure as you can get; it's observational, it's minimalist, there's no intrusive music except where it is part of the action.
Sweet and well observed, the film takes us inside a typical family in a typical Paris suburb - and gives us a spin
Sciamma's capturing of children at play is disarmingly accurate, perfectly showing the freewheeling nature of prepubescence in all its glory.
Writer and director Celine Sciamma adorns the thorny dilemma with resonant allusions to gender roles...
The film's greatest accomplishment is writer/director Celine Sciamma's stunning ability to draw natural, believable performances from her adolescent cast, who never hit a false note in this moving film.
"Tomboy" is so specific and intuitive that I kept thinking, "How do the filmmakers know this stuff?"
Tomboy captures a delicate moment in time before issues of sexuality so much more complicated and calculated.
As the sisters come to see that dresses and haircuts and behaviors are a means to create a self, to communicate with others, Tomboy doesn't offer an easy answer; instead, it lets you wonder why gender must be so definitive.
...a well-intentioned yet hopelessly inert piece of work.
Audience Reviews for Tomboy
Super Reviewer
Super Reviewer
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- Laure / Michaël: Don't cut too much or my Mum will notice.
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- Lisa: Are you new around here?
- Laure / Michaël: Yeah, we got in yesterday.
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Foreign Titles
- Tomboy (AU)
