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Girls Will Be Girls

Shuchi Talati
festival
Thu 1 May 25 and Sat 3 May 25
  • Caution with children up to 16 years of age

A subtly and sensitively written coming-of-age drama that explores the complexity of sexual awakening and generational conflicts in contemporary India. The film won the Audience Award at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. 

Sixteen-year-old Mira is an excellent student. Under the watchful eye of her overprotective mother, she dutifully follows the rules. But the arrival of her new classmate, Srinivas, stirs unfamiliar emotions in Mira. She falls in love with him and invites him home, where Srinivas also succeeds in charming her mother. Suddenly, an undeclared rivalry emerges between the mother and her rebellious daughter. 

It could have been a simple coming-of-age story, but the first-time director avoids common clichés and the pitfalls of cheap melodrama. Instead, she delivers an intimate film that portrays teenage sexuality in a sensitive yet playful manner—almost revolutionary in Indian cinema. She approaches the perhaps uncomfortable topic of female empowerment in India with remarkable empathy. 

direction
Shuchi Talati
duration
118 min
year
2024
country
India
language
English, Hindi
Subtitles
Engels, Nederlands
  • Caution with children up to 16 years of age

festival

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Regisseur

Shuchi Talati

director

"Honest and sensitive while avoiding the pitfalls of naivety and sentimentalism."- Martin Kudláč, Cineuropa