Oppressed by her family setting, dead-end school prospects and the boys law in the neighborhood, Marieme starts a new life after meeting a group of 3 free-spirited girls. She changes her name, her dress code, and quits school to be accepted in the gang, hoping that this will be a way to freedom. Read more …
Overall this is a gripping, non-judgmental look at a young girl finding herself in the toughest circumstances.
It’s great to see a gritty girl-gang story that’s not a fingerwagging cautionary tale, or a grrrlpower fantasy. Sciamma finishes her coming-of-age trilogy on a high note.
The energy does flag in the final stretch and Sciamma doesn’t seem to know how to say goodbye. Eventually she finds a perfect parting shot, one that beautifully caps a film as powerful as it is entertaining.
Girlhood has a raw emotional urgency and energy.
There are some brutal moments – catfights, domestic abuse – but it is the quieter episodes which register the most strongly.
Though perhaps proceedings tend towards harsh uncertainty, Sciamma never forgets the importance of showing the moments of unadulterated joy that teens always find, regardless of how troubled their situations are.
It is punchy, authentic and finely acted but drifts narratively.
Céline Sciamma’s gritty portrait of a teen’s life in the Paris projects is honest and refreshingly non-judgmental.
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Edinburgh Filmhouse, Edinburgh from Friday July 3, 2015, until Thursday July 9, 2015. More info: www.filmhousecinema.com
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