Day 8 @ MSPIFF 2015: 'Girlhood' Reviewed
There are longueurs that occur throughout French director Céline Sciamma's new drama Girlhood almost as if on a schedule. These moments feature the central character Marieme (Karidja Toure) seemingly soaking in a privileged moment in isolation from her environment, from her social life, from her responsibilities. These moments, accompanied by a very Tangerine Dream-esque musical score by Jean-Baptiste de Laubier, seem to stand in stark contrast with the accepted wisdom that coming-of-age stories are typically presented via a whirlwind of forward momentum.
That may be the case for a number of people, but Marieme's options are limited right from the beginning. With an absent mother, lorded over by an abusive brother, and informed by her guidance counselor that her grades ensure she will not be allowed into high school and should, instead, pursue tech school and menial job prospects, she doesn't seem to have any other alternative than to acquiesce to the recruitment of a girl gang. They quickly take her under her wing.
Normally, this is where a movie would emphasize the loss of innocence of its protagonist, or her increasingly skewed moral compass. Not Girlhood. Sciamma instead carefully and patiently charts Marieme's experiences with Lady and the gang as an awakening and an opportunity for growth. Yes, and courtyard brawls and petty theft and, eventually, other shady dealings. But Sciamma's eye doesn't judge, and Marieme, to paraphrase the theme from The Facts of Life, takes the good, takes the bad, takes them both. It's a character study, not a screed.
And it's a fairly gorgeous one at that, with luxuriant cinematography by Christel Baras underpinning the adolescent longing of these girls, and then externalizing their lifeforce with deep, sparkling compositions. And Toure's performance as Marieme and, quite especially, Assa Sylla's as her mentor/rival Lady form some of the most compelling two-handers in recent memory.
Girlhood is playing at 9:30 p.m.
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Other Highlights For Thursday, April 16
Tangerines (Zaza Urushadze, Estonia) Arrives at MSPIFF fresh off its Oscar nomination for best foreign film, and with its very Academy-friendly storyline -- involving an old man who takes in mortal enemies amid the Chechen-Russian conflicts in 1992 -- it's not hard to see the appeal. (2:50 p.m.)
Life of Riley (Alain Resnais, France) There's no bigger name among the directors represented at this year's MSPIFF than Alain Resnais, the French new wave legend behind Hiroshima Mon Amour and Last Year in Marienbad. His new film continues in the lightly theatrical, comedic vein of his other recent work. (4:50 p.m.)
Ciudad Delirio (Chus Gutiérrez, Columbia) Salsa music and salsa dancing are just plain cinematically friendly. And the moves of Ciudad Delirio offer a perfect night cap. (9:50 p.m.)
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For the festival schedule, and a complete listing of all the movies being shown, click here. Ticket information is available here.
Throughout the entirety of the 2015 Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival, WCCO.com will be spotlighting one notable movie each day, along with other notable screenings. To see WCCO.com's complete coverage on the MSPIFF, click here.
