‘Girlhood’ Movie Review 0 1076

girlhood-movie-review

Girlhood (not to be confused with or related to Richard Linklater’s Boyhood) is the third directorial effort from acclaimed filmmaker Céline Sciamma, whose previous films include Water Lilies and Tomboy. And while it might not be as effective as either of those, it nonetheless provides a striking, detailed exploration of the well-worn coming-of-age genre.

The film tells the story of 16-year-old Marieme (impressive newcomer Karidja Touré) who lives in an underprivileged area of Paris with her two younger sisters and domineering, sometimes abusive older brother. Lacking any real life prospects she one day gets involved with a gang of girls who spend their time skipping school, fighting and shoplifting. At first Marieme – eventually adopting the nickname “Vic” – feels like she has a newfound sense of purpose and confidence but soon realises it may not what truly makes her happy as her criminal activities start to escalate.

Adolescence, social standing and belonging are just some of the themes explored in Sciamma’s film and it’s done in a matter that makes you sit up and take notice. On the surface it’s a generic story about a struggling girl trying to better herself and take care of her siblings, nothing we haven’t seen before really. But there’s a refreshing honesty in Sciamma’s writing that allows plenty of room for its characters and themes to breathe and the distinct visuals – gorgeous shadowing against blue backdrops, striking scene transitions and the like – give it a unique flavour.

Essentially it’s about how an impressionable adolescent who strives to get ahead but is withheld due to her circumstances falls in with a bad crowd – the “hood” of the title refers as much to the streets as it does anything else – letting the snazzy glare of teenage rebellion, the promise of new possessions and above all else a sense of power that comes with being able to intimidate people as part of a group go to her head and allowing that to spur on a bigger spiral of wrongdoing. Sciamma clearly knows her subject matter and she effectively captures the detailed minutiae of disaffected and disenfranchised youths in French society without it ever feeling like she’s taking a judgemental, figure-wagging standpoint.

The film works less once it dispenses with the scenes of her integrating into the gang and forces the transformation of its central character into a fully-fledged criminal – in terms of attitude, actions and her newly adopted appearance – on us rather too suddenly in a way that makes it ultimately hard to truly care about her but easy to yearn for the much stronger and more compelling first segment.

That said, it doesn’t completely undo the good the film has done up until that point which is largely thanks to the performance of Touré in the central role. It’s her first ever feature film performance but watching her embody such a intricate character, you’d never know. She has all emotional complexities and vulnerabilities of a seasoned actor with the unique ability to say a lot without physically saying very much that makes her a young star to watch out for in the future; appropriately she was nominated for the Most Promising Actress at the César Awards.

Though it does go on longer than is probably necessary, occasionally overdoing some of the scenes or overstretching some of the main points that it’s trying to get across, Girlhood is clearly made with a lot of passion for the subject matter and by a filmmaker who knows exactly what she wants. Coming-of-age movies are a dime-a-dozen but it’s nice to see one that has fresh angle on things, even if can take its sweet time doing it.

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I'm a freelance film reviewer and blogger with over 10 years of experience writing for various different reputable online and print publications. In addition to my running, editing and writing for Thoughts On Film, I am also the film critic for The National, the newspaper that supports an independent Scotland, covering the weekly film releases, film festivals and film-related features. I have a passion for all types of cinema, and have a particular love for foreign language film, especially South Korean and Japanese cinema. Favourite films include The Big Lebowski, Pulp Fiction and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

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Tolkien Biopic to Be Released in May 0 6403

10th May, 2019 is when Tolkien will be released to the world, an autobiographical film that will revolve around the early days of legendary author J.R.R. Tolkien before he became the literary giant that he is today.

Here on Thoughts on Film we are big fans of his work and the recent films made by Peter Jackson. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (LOTR), are responsible for originating a universe that has gone on to inspire movies, animation, fiction, and modern media interpretations.



This is why Tolkien is regarded by many as the greatest fantasy author of all time. His creative stamp can be seen nearly everywhere in modern media. There’s the direct reinterpretation of his work in the recently released action roleplaying game Middle Earth: Shadow of War, where players are thrust into a major role in Tolkien’s literary canon. George R.R. Martin, who originated the now globally-popular Game of Thrones series on HBO, openly reveres LOTR as the inspiration for his work, citing the early death of Gandalf in Fellowship of the Ring as having a profound effect on his “own willingness to kill characters at the drop of a hat.” On the web, more Tolkien-inspired work can be found on leading slot portal Slingo and its many online titles dedicated to the fantasy genre, including Amazon Queen, Fae Legend Warrior, and Magic Castle, all of which feature elements that can be traced back to the author’s massive body of work. Technically speaking, the same can be said of nearly every major fantasy brand out there today, from Dungeons & Dragons to Magic: the Gathering. In short, almost every type of entertainment that features western fantasy can be traced back to the works of Tolkien.

In the upcoming Tolkien movie, the man will be played by Nicholas Hoult, whom is best known for Mad Max: Fury Road and Hank McCoy in the most recent X-Men movies. And now, the actor’s versatility will be tested as he steps into the shoes of the most iconic fantasy writer of all time. Starring alongside Hoult will be the actress Lily Collins as Edith Bratt – the woman whom Tolkien loved above all and is reportedly the inspiration for all “elven princess characters” in the LOTR series.

Helming the film is director Dome Karukoski whose CV includes 2017’s Tom of Finland, a critically acclaimed chronicle of the life and works of the controversial artist of the same name. And while media outlets haven’t yet heard from either the cast, director, or crew of the film, an official synopsis of the movie has been released via Collider. “Tolkien explores the formative years of the orphaned author as he finds friendship, love and artistic inspiration among a group of fellow outcasts at school. This takes him into the outbreak of World War I, which threatens to tear the “Fellowship” apart. All of these experiences would inspire Tolkien to write his famous Middle-earth novels.” It sounds like a real treat for film, literature, and Middle Earth fans.

Feature: 2019 Oscar Predictions 0 4100

I think it’s fair to say that the run up to this year’s Oscars has been a little messier than usual, from unexpected and bizarre wins at other awards shows (Vice winning Best Editing at the BAFTAs, anyone?) to ridiculous decisions by the Academy to change the show around.

The latter has proved a particular point of contention with both those in the industry to onlookers on social media, with choices such as not letting all the songs be performed to introducing a Best Popular Film category (whatever that means) to not airing four categories live; Editing and Cinematography proved a particular issue, sending the folks of Film Twitter into a Hulk-like rage.

Thankfully all of these decisions except for the one to not have a main host have taken the walk-back of shame; I look forward to Clint Eastwood talking to an empty chair again. Of course there’s still the issue of plenty of thoroughly deserving films, filmmakers and performances not being up for any Oscars at all (*cough* Toni Collette! *cough*) but of course that’s not an issue unique to this year.

The show must go on, as they say, and I thought a week out from this year’s ceremony I’d throw my hat into the ring as far as predictions goes. Below I’ve listed what I think will win in each category, as well as what I personally would like to see pick up that little gold man come next Sunday evening.

Best Picture

Want to win: A Star is Born
Will win: Green Book

Lead Actor

Want to win: Bradley Cooper (A Star is Born)
Will win: Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody)

Lead Actress

Want to win: Olivia Colman (The Favourite)
Will win: Olivia Colman (The Favourite)

Supporting Actor

Want to win: Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)
Will win: Mahershala Ali (Green Book)

Supporting Actress

Want to win: Emma Stone (The Favourite)
Will win: Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk)

Director

Want to win: Alfonso Cuarón (Roma)
Will win: Alfonso Cuarón (Roma)

Animated Feature

Want to win: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Will win: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Adapted Screenplay

Want to win: BlacKkKlansman
Will win: BlacKkKlansman

Original Screenplay

Want to win: First Reformed
Will win: The Favourite

Cinematography

Want to win: Roma
Will win: Roma

Documentary Feature

Want to win: Free Solo
Will win: Minding the Gap

Foreign Language Film

Want to win: Roma
Will win: Roma

Film Editing

Want to win: BlacKkKlansman
Will win: Bohemian Rhapsody

Sound Editing

Want to win: A Quiet Place
Will win: Bohemian Rhapsody

Sound Mixing

Want to win: A Star is Born
Will win: Bohemian Rhapsody

Production Design

Want to win: Roma
Will win: The Favourite

Original Score

Want to win: If Beale Street Could Talk
Will win: Black Panther

Original Song

Want to win: Shallow (A Star is Born)
Will win: Shallow (A Star is Born)

Makeup and Hair

Want to win: Mary Queen of Scots
Will win: Vice

Costume Design

Want to win: Black Panther
Will win: The Favourite

Visual Effects

Want to win: Avengers: Infinity War
Will win: Ready Player One

Animated Short

Want to win: Bao
Will win: Bao

Live Action Short

Want to win: Marguerite
Will win: Marguerite

Documentary Short Subject

Want to win: Black Sheep
Will win: Lifeboat

Do you agree? Disagree? Feel free to leave your predictions/wishes for the winners below or tweet @TOF_UK or @rosstmiller.

Roll on Sunday!