Movie review: “Girlhood”

“Girlhood”
Directed by Céline Sciamma
Strand Releasing
4.0 / 5.0 paws

Unlike a certain boy-equivalent film of recent popularity, “Girlhood” doesn’t feel revolutionary or universal. The Parisian ghettos are far more corrupting than the middle-class suburbs of “Boyhood,” but it’s not just the environments that set the two apart: it’s how the films’ susceptible characters thrive in them.

Rather than aim for universality like “Boyhood,” “Girlhood” feels specific. The story of Marieme (Karidja Touré), or Vic as she’s later known, is simultaneously heartbreaking and profound as an insight into her world, which bounces elegantly between righteously powerful fun and hauntingly distasteful, spirals.

“Girlhood” starts out innocently enough. Marieme is a cog in a big machine: she plays American football with her friends, takes care of her sister while her mother is at her nightly, low-wage job, and fears her brother’s brash grip on her well-being. She builds a strong friendship with three girls in particular, Lady (Assa Sylla), Fily (Mariétou Touré and Adiatou (Lindsay Karamoh).

Throughout the film, Marieme plays the game of life by going further and further out of her comfort zone, gradually transitioning from a timid adolescent to a drug dealer. She exchanges her bland sweaters for leather jackets, and a free-flowing hairstyle for braids and bangs. As she succumbs to involvement in her friends’ irresponsible plans, she learns to take charge of her own well-being and those of people she cares for, but with an imbued loyalty that only evolves as she gets in more trouble.

For the first two-thirds of the film’s running time, Marieme’s actions are outright power plays. In one scene, she takes brutal revenge on a bully who beat and humiliated Lady, and in another she bravely asserts herself against her brother. She becomes a hardened criminal and a strong (though not moral) woman, who proves to her peers that she can survive on her own. It’s a fast transition over “Girlhood’s” two-hour running time, but Marieme’s life, as unpredictable and unfortunate as it is, feels maddeningly believable.

The other themes that Sciamma has at her disposal are not unlike those she has shown before – namely in her breakout 2011 hit “Tomboy.” Both leads are conflicted over their personality and gender – in Marieme’s case, after assimilating herself into the female pack, she quietly decides to make another change, flattening her hair and wrapping her breasts.

The ideas of sexual ambiguity within both films are similar, but not profoundly typical. Sciamma presents “Girlhood” without these moments until near the end, and by that point too much has happened for Marieme’s personal choices to stand out. Unlike her friends, Marieme is a confused character and sways to the critical whispers of those around her without letting herself ever appear emotional, even to her family.

Any remaining themes that Sciamma lets play out are nearly overshadowed by how much fun her group is having. Sure, there are some ideas of the urban French lower class’ struggles, but Marieme and her friends overcome those problems like many teenagers do: by going out and having a great time. One musical moment, in a film filled with great musical moments, features a group sing-along to Rihanna’s “Diamonds,” and shows off the girls’ enduring, likable qualities with a beautifully realized shine.

Don’t be fooled, though. “Girlhood” isn’t a film with a happy ending by any means. The ending that comes after a bit of dragging plot could pass off better as a cinematic afterword. But “Girlhood” does flourish with cool scenes that, give or take a few, bear a resemblance to the all-encompassing manner of joyous triumph in “Boyhood.” As strong a portrait as it is, “Girlhood” does hold some universal truths, and for those alone, it’s worth a look.

– Sebastian Torrelio