Girl **** (2018, Victor Polster, Arieh Worthalter, Oliver Bodart) – Movie Review

Victor Polster is sensational as the 15-year-old Lara, born in the body of a boy, who dreams of becoming a ballerina, in co-writer/ director Lukas Dhont’s Girl (2018). You could put this another way, Victor Polster is sensational as a 15-year-old boy, living his life as a girl Lara, who dreams of becoming a ballerina, in Girl (2018).

In his head, he is a girl, and he is on the road to becoming one physically, taking hormones and preparing himself for a sex change operation. This is not an easy route. And nor is Lara’s route to becoming a ballerina, either in class or out. Lara has an astoundingly switched-on, supportive and understanding dad, Mathias (Arieh Worthalter), a single father utterly devoted to his daughter’s success and happiness, and a nice smaller brother. But then, this is Belgium, where people have different, generally more progressive attitudes.

Victor Polster, star of Girl (2018).

[Spoiler alert] Girl is a tough-edged story of resilience and courage against the epic series of struggles large and small that Lara confronts with an equally epic, stoical, determined bravery. Though compelling, even riveting, it is not at all an easy, comfortable watch like it would be if it was, say, a British film. It would be very much like Billy Elliot in that case – and it is not. The ending, especially, is very hard to watch, but hard though this is, the film still manages to ends on a up note. It is a challenging, frank film, not a feel-good, upbeat one. It says unequivocally that resilience and courage against struggles have to be earned and won the hard way.

Worthalter is very good indeed, but it is Lara’s show, and the 16-year-old Victor Polster has the X factor. He won Un Certain Regard – Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival, where the film did not really receive its proper due, though it won the FIPRESCI Prize (Un Certain Regard), Golden Camera (for the director) and Queer Palm.

The genderless casting call for Lara auditioned 500 teens between 14 and 17, but none could both dance and act well. When the film-makers decided to cast the other dancers first, they found Victor Polster. And how he dances! The film spends a lot of time in the dance rehearsal studio.

Girl is inspired by a true story about Lara.

Girl is directed by Lukas Dhont, written by Lukas Dhont and Angelo Tijssens, shot by Frank van den Eeden, edited by Alain Dessauvage and scored by Valentin Hadjadj. It is produced by Dirk Impens for Menuet, in co-production with Frakas Productions and Topkapi Films.

Lukas Dhont, director of Girl (2018).

It is the first feature from Lukas Dhont, who won the Best Belgian Student Short Film at Film Fest Gent with his master thesis L’Infini in 2014. He also was part of the youth jury of the Explore Zone competition in 2011 and received a Special Mention for his short film Corps Perdu in 2012. ‘What we’re experiencing now with Girl surpasses my wildest dreams,’ says Dhont.

Girl won the Sutherland Award in the First Feature Competition for Lukas Dhont at the London Film Festival 2018.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Movie Review

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com