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Critics Consensus: In tune with the emotion and tribulations of childhood, Tomboy is a charming movie that treats its main subject with warmth and heart.
Critic Consensus: In tune with the emotion and tribulations of childhood, Tomboy is a charming movie that treats its main subject with warmth and heart.
All Critics (64) | Top Critics (24) | Fresh (62) | Rotten (2)
Tomboy is a lovely reminder that the French have long been famous for a quite different sort of film-about children.
Brisk, precisely observed, and bracingly non-preachy in its examination of a very tricky subject.
Writer and director Celine Sciamma adorns the thorny dilemma with resonant allusions to gender roles...
Modestly conceived and executed.
"Tomboy" is tender and affectionate.
"Tomboy," a brief and sweetly refreshing French film, is the story of a lie.
Should make people sit up and pay attention, not only due to Sciamma's naturalistic script and instinctive directing, but also the remarkable ensemble of young talent that she has consolidated into one film.
Affecting, well-envisioned and delicately captured.
Since we are dealing with fresh-faced tweens, we are spared the gender histrionics to be found in the likes of The Crying Game or Boys Don't Cry. Those are indeed bigger films. But sometimes small things can pay off quite nicely.
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.
A very honest drama that raises some interesting questions about sexual identity or why genders should matter, and Sciamma directs her film with simplicity, observing her characters and using a welcome naturalistic direction to approach this delicate subject.
Super Reviewer
You rarely see a film centred on a young girl figuring out gender issues. In that regard, Sciamma's film is fascinating as is the reaction of the children she engages with.
These kids and the script are incredibly charming. Instantly makes the reader empathize with issues in gender confusion and root for the protagonist to maintain his perception of himself.
In "Tomboy," 10-year old Laure(Zoe Heran) moves to a new neighborhood with her parents(Sophie Cattani & Mathieu Demy) and younger sister Jeanne(Malonn Levana). While looking out from an apartment window one pleasant afternoon, Laure sees a group of boys playing out in the park. When she finally leaves her sister and sleeping, very, very pregnant mother behind in the apartment, the boys are gone, with only Lisa(Jeanne Disson), a girl of her age, left behind in their wake. Laure introduces herself as Mikael and they run after them together, so they can join in the fun. With that simple, elegant setup, writer-director Celine Sciamma tells an evocative and naturalistic genderblender with a very belieable sibling relationship. Sadly, the movie eventually runs straight into a narrative wall. Until then, Laure is not just being a tomboy; she is passing as a boy but not 24/7, so we'll keep to the feminine pronouns.(Actually, it is not until later that she is revealed not to be a boy.) She does this to enjoy the freedoms that boys enjoy but is too young to realize the minefield of gender that she has just walked into. That's where parents come in, as the movie smartly shows how parents help to shape their children's gender.
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