Tomboy

French filmmaker Céline Sciamma's drama—winner of numerous prizes on the gay and lesbian film festival circuit—stars young newcomer Zoé Héran in the titular role of 10-year-old Laure, who moves with her family to a suburban neighborhood during the summer. Thanks to her short haircut and pre-teen swagger, Laure is effectively able to pass herself off as a boy named Mickäel. Young neighbor Lisa (Jeanne Disson) introduces “Mickäel” to a gang of soccer-playing kids, who accept Laure with no inkling of her real gender. But how long can this charade go on, especially after Lisa begins to display evidence of puppy love towards Mickäel and Laure's sister is dragged into the cover-up? Some scenes are very amusing, many revolving around Laure's uncanny ability to improvise the physical characteristics of boys (as well as a sequence in which Laure somewhat surprisingly agrees to be the beneficiary of Lisa's makeup application skills). Wisely avoiding heavy-handed sociological pontificating, Tomboy offers a remarkably sensitive view of gender identity, driven by Héran's excellent performance and Sciamma's deftly subtle direction. An indie winner, this is highly recommended. (P. Hall)