We review Girl and Yesterday
Cast: Victor Polster, Arieh Worthalter, Katelijne Damen
Director: Lukas Dhont
Running time: 105 mins
Rating: R16 (Sex scenes, sexual themes, nudity, selfharm and content that may disturb)
Verdict: An immersive and heartfelt portrayal of a young trans experience
IN HIS first feature, Belgian writer/ director Lukas Dhont has tightly packed a cinematic masterpiece into a topical powder keg.
It’s little wonder that a production about a transgender ballerina has courted so much controversy; the pitfalls of which were well documented by Dhont’s well-meaning but perhaps naive blind-casting of its lead role, Lara. He settled on a cis male actor, Victor Polster, to play a teenage girl who was born a male, much to the chagrin of the trans-community, who felt it more appropriate that Lara be played by a transgender actor at the very least. There are valid points on both sides of the ledger, and notwithstanding further controversies, it’s a wonder that this hot potato of a film ever got off the ground. I’m glad it did.
The film gives a brutally honest account of Lara. Her induction into a prestigious Belgian ballet academy is fraught with difficulties surrounding her hormone treatment, the impending sexchange procedure and the impact this has on her ability to dance. Polster’s tender portrayal of Lara belies his lack of acting experience, as he captures a teenager’s quiet fragility and petulant defiance with breathtaking skill. Dhont’s camera, which keeps Polster’s spell-binding performance centre of the frame, unapologetically explores Lara’s loneliness, highlighting the bond she has between her body and her emotional wellbeing.
Certainly, this cis male reviewer wouldn’t begin to cast assumptions on what it’s like to be transgender. However, Girl harnesses one of cinema’s great commissions, offering a direct channel (seemingly, at least) into the life of a transgendered person with whom I could connect.
Straight out of the Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell and the
Butterfly) school of aesthetics, Girl embraces a sensual harmony of movement and sound—its verite style lending the film a lived-in quality that makes Lara’s story feel so very authentic. Girl may not be to everyone’s liking, but I found it an uplifting triumph and an astonishing statement on the human spirit.