I thought Lukas Dhont's "Girl" was one of the surprises of Cannes' Un Certain Regard program back in May. I wrote in my review:
"From its very first moments, the beautifully controlled and artful “Girl” – the feature debut of young Belgian director Lukas Dhont – grips and takes hold. This deeply emphatic portrayal of a trans teen has an expressive camera that observes and listens, rather than forces you to succumb to emotions. The trajectory of the story’s protagonist, Lara, who is determined to become a ballet dancer despite feeling trapped in a body she doesn’t recognize, sounds a little exploitative on paper, but the end result is quite the opposite. Sensitively rendered cinema with a capital C, “Girl” features a lovely naturalism and an attention to detail so delicately constructed characters feel like full flesh and blood."
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