The phrase “Girls will be girls”, shouldn’t seem like a revelation, but if you pause and think about it…it is. Award-winning writer and director Suchi Talati takes the well-known adage “Boys will be boys”, and recontextualizes it to describe the at times strained relationship between a young mother Anila (Kani Kusruti) and her teen daughter Mira (Preeti Panigrahi), in her debut feature film Girls Will be Girls.
Set in a boarding school in the Himalayas of northern India, Girls Will be Girls, takes the typical coming-of age story and positions it to the coming of age for Mira who, having gained the status of Head Prefect at her school, thinks she’s mature enough to take another step, sexual discovery. Sri (Kesav Binoy Kiron), a new student recently moved from Hong Kong, offers Mira the perfect opportunity to explore her burgeoning emotions as she believes his worldliness and maturity which are vastly different to the other male students, makes him the best choice for her.
As Mira and Sri enjoy their quiet discussions in secluded areas of the school, surreptitious glances across the classrooms, and whispered conversations over the phone, her mother Anila takes note of the changes in her daughter. As Mira becomes more confident in her budding sexuality, her emotions towards her mother become ever more abrasive and dismissive. What Mira sees as jealousy and selfishness in Anila’s interventions in her and Sri’s interactions when he comes to their house, Anila, sees as her duty as a mother looking out for her daughter because she has the foresight to see where wrong move could spell social disaster for Mira in a patriarchal society where image, social status, and female decorum are paramount.
Following the films screening at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival, Shuchi and I had a terrific conversation where we spoke about Girls Will be Girls being a coming of age story for Anila, whose loneliness caused her to cling to the attentions of Sri, as a substitute for what she doesn’t receive from Mira and her husband who’s barely a presence in their home and lives.
We also spoke about the pressure to always think about what boys and men think of the way we look, and behave from girlhood to adulthood creates self-consciousness and insecurities that are hard to get over.
Girls Will be Girls had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Award and an Audience Award. For the film, Shuchi has also received Aide Aux Cinémas du Monde and Sørfond grants, and the ArteKINO and VFF Talent Award at the Berlinale Co-Production Market.
Carolyn Hinds
Freelance Critic, Journalist & Podcaster
African American Film Critics Association Member, Tomatometer-Approved Critic
Co-Host & Producer So Here’s What Happened! Podcast
Bylines at http://Authory.com/CarolynHinds
Twitter & Instagram: @CarrieCnh12
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