GIRL
This captivating and compassionate award-winning breakout film from Cannes follows determined teen Lara as she enters a prestigious ballet academy and anxiously awaits her gender affirmation surgery.
In his debut feature film, Belgian co-writer/director Lukas Dhont (Golden Camera – Best First Feature) and outstanding newcomer Victor Polster (Un Certain Regard – Best Actor) collaborate to explore a transgender teen’s relationship with her body, set amidst the uncompromising demands of a rigorous ballet program and the intense beauty and pain of each pointe and plié. After relocating with her devoted single father (the astonishing Arieh Worthalter) and younger brother to attend a competitive ballet school, 15-year-old Lara (Polster), assigned male at birth, Lara must cope with all of the changes brought on by hormonal therapy and the pressures of performing. Though accepted and supported by her family, therapist, and doctors, Lara insists that only a physical transformation will truly make her a woman and is impatient for her gender affirmation surgery. Working at an unsustainable pace while ignoring pleas to stop harmful attempts at hiding her body, Lara’s steely determination pushes her to overlook her physical well-being and puts the next steps of her journey into jeopardy. Led by the exquisite young dancer and mesmerizing actor Polster, GIRL is one of the most breathtaking, touching, and palpable cinema experiences of the year.
CAST: Victor Polster, Katelijne Damen, Arieh Worthalter, Valentijin Dhaenens
In Competition: First Feature Award
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