Tomboy – Film Review

Posing as a boy with the kids in her new community, ten-year-old Laure (Zoé Héran) enjoys playing about as a lad, despite the challenges this sometimes presents. However, the truth cannot remain hidden and the games have to end.

Céline Sciamma is an expert at crafting films with small scales but ones that pack quite the punch when it comes to the emotional complexities of the film’s characters and their overall storylines. Her 2011 effort Tomboy is certainly no exception, even if it is her weakest film. But even her weakest film turns out to be genuinely great, solidifying Sciamma as a true master of filmmaking.

The depth and emotion of Tomboy comes shining through thanks to its lead actress Zoé Héran who absolutely dazzles in every scene. Films where the main focus is on one character absolutely require excellent casting because if the audience feels a disconnect between themselves and the protagonist, it will all fall apart disastrously. Gratefully, Héran is compelling every second she’s on-screen.

Sciamma’s film is also brimming with so much love and joy that also explores the beauties of life. The mundanities of it, and everything in between. There are some moments in which the film can fall flat because, at its core, it’s a film that’s simply about one ten-year-old’s life and struggles so there really is only so much Sciamma can do with a story that simplistic and bare in nature. But I’d be shocked if you watched Tomboy and didn’t feel something. All of her projects manage to bring out our emotions.

It’s also a gorgeously shot picture by Crystel Fournier, who utilizes a ton of wides and close-ups, making everything look effortless and easy. The music by Para One is very understated which makes it all the more compelling and moving whenever it swoops into any scene, further propelling the emotions on display. Julien Lacheray‘s editing is practically seamless here as well, transitioning from one scene to the next so smoothly that you barely notice it.

I just love movies that feel so real to the point where some part of your brain almost wants to believe that you’re watching real people and not professional actors who were given a script to rehearse. Tomboy is exactly that kind of movie. It feels so much like a documentary throughout its running time to the point where some part of my brain was telling me that it was a documentary. It’s not, but that didn’t stop me from wanting to believe. That’s the power of film. Getting sucked into a story so deeply and never wanting to escape it.