Audience Member
One of the most realistic portrayals of transgender teens I have ever seen. The film deals with issues of attraction, consent, feeling isolated, bullying, jealousy, and the importance of reaching out. It is a beautiful look at the emotional roller coaster of working out gender in an unsupportive environment. A little heavy in parts, but then, kids who are struggling with these issues will probably be more relieved than distressed to see their experiences reflected so accurately. 5 stars.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/04/23
Full Review
jesse o
And the Oscar for Least Subtle Movie of 2015 goes to this one. I hate that I'm starting this review off on a somewhat snarky note, but the fact of the matter is that there's nothing subtle about this narrative. And that, really, may be the point of the story they're trying to tell. But don't let that be indicative of my thoughts on this film, while its lack of subtlety was a detriment, I thought that this was quite a good movie. And a very timely one as well, considering that trans rights is a fairly big issue in today's political landscape. One that a lot of people get wrong, particularly if they're conservatives, by trying to limit access to bathrooms for trans people. They do so under the guise of protecting women and children from sexual assault, even though there's very little evidence to actually back that up. If you do a little research, you WILL find out, however, that trans people are more likely to be sexually assaulted than the other way around. All it takes is a simple Google search. But, in the era we're living in (of alternative facts) anything that doesn't support your erroneous statement is a lie. I digress, I didn't come here to moralize, nor did you come here for that. So onto this review. Like I said earlier, this is a good movie and one that's definitely very modern and timely. It's not without its flaws, of course, like the film's third act is a little too dramatic for my tastes and it doesn't really do justice to the film's characters or the world the film has built up with its storytelling. Simply put, these three girls, who are bullied at school, find this flower that, if you drink from its nectar, turns them into boys shortly thereafter. Once they're boys, they find the acceptance from another group of boys that they never got at school. Fairly simple stuff. But, obviously, one of the girls, Kim, finally feels liberated and like her true self when she turns into a boy. Obviously, the film here is playing with gender identity and, even before they drink the nectar, Kim tells Momo that she feels that there's this zipper on her that she can't pull down to reveal her true self. So even from the start of the film, Kim has identity issues, she feels trapped in her own body. Obviously the narrative plays with that as Kim grows more and more addicted to being a boy and she falls in love with a hoodlum, Tony, who, as the film progresses, starts to show feelings for Kim, as a boy at least. So the movie plays with gender and sexual identity from a couple of different angles. Obviously Kim struggles with her own sexual identity as she doesn't seem to be fully aware, at least yet, of who she's attracted to. Tony, the guy she meets, or Momo, one of her best friends, but only as a boy. It's an interesting coming-of-age story. The story is told through the lens of magic realism. The characters are believable and relatable, but the means they tell the story evoke a surreal atmosphere. The film is well-written, for the most part, and the acting is excellent all-around. All of the girls do a great job, even if the movie focuses mostly of Kim's character. Tuva Jagell, who plays Kim as a girl at least, does a great job here. I've never seen her before, but she's really damn good. Emrik Ohlander, who plays Kim as a boy, also does a great job, but Tuva really is the highlight of the film. Which is why I wish the film had a more satisfying conclusion instead of one that's so heavy-handed and weepy. Like I mentioned earlier, it doesn't really do justice to the characters the film has so carefully developed through its narrative. I don't mean to suggest that it falls apart in the third act, but let's just say that it's not an appropriate ending for this movie. I really do think that holds the movie back for me. Because, other than that, this movie is quite good. I wouldn't say it was very good, but it was good. I felt that it was missing something for it to reach a higher level. I don't know what that something was, but there was something lacking here. But I can't complain much, regardless, this is still a good movie. It has its flaws, but it's still an enjoyable movie with good character development and some excellent acting.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
Audience Member
One of the best LGBT films I have seen with powerful messages about the emotional upheavals of adolescence, the confusion of growing up in the wrong body, peer pressure, a desperate sense of belonging, bullying, all issues are addressed here! We have three bullied teen girls facing marginalization. When they discover a rare and lovely plant on their greenhouse with a wonderful taste of vanilla they decide to sample it, transforming the girls into boys. As boys they face a new world, and the same people that belittled and taunted them are now supporting them. Indeed the world around them and their response to it is profoundly altered. The film is Swedish but you can apply English subtitles since it is available to stream in HD from Netflix. Again, a terrific film, a gem of the LGBT cinema and not to be missed!! RECOMMENDED.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/13/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Any shred of a meaning that may have been incurred at the beginning is, much like the girls, lost in a wave of extreme heavy-handedness that consequentially loses the audience' care and interest.
Rated 1/5 Stars •
Rated 1 out of 5 stars
01/29/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Queer coming of age films tend to swing between cotton candy clean and morbidly dark, and this one takes the dark plunge early on. But it also treats its struggling protagonists with respect, and doesn't exploit their bodies or teen angst. Our key protagonist is discovering they may be transgender, with the help of a magic plant that turns them into a boy. Their two friends are reacting and coping with their own questions around friendship and sexuality, and this gives a nuanced view of different queer experiences. It never quite recovers from its dark plunge but is strong and affecting.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/15/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Girls Lost starts out promising. Three girls find a magic plant that transforms them into boys for a shot period. Their first transformation is wonderful. The girls marvel at their new bodies and revel in the freedom that comes with being male, not because they want to change their identity, but because being a boy comes with freedoms that don't exist when you are a girl. Of course one of the girls realises that she is more comfortable as a boy, a plot "twist" that could have been contrived, but that director Alexandra-Therese Keining handles very well. She then proceeds to undo all the good work she establishes in the first half as Girls Lost decends into an overwrought teen soap opera, complete with a ridiculous love triangle, sex, drugs and hormones. The final this defies belief and completely erases everything good that came before.
Rated 1.5/5 Stars •
Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars
02/06/23
Full Review
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