Girlhood

Dropping out of school, teenager Marieme hooks up with three other girls to form a loose-knit gang. Soon they are embarking on a spree of minor theft, drug-dealing and spirited high jinks in and beyond the soulless Parisian suburb where they all live. For them it’s all about identity, freedom and youth empowerment, a theme that writer-director Céline Sciamma has explored before with her 2007 feature debut Water Lilies.

Here, she handles it with humour and understanding, and a welcome absence of schmaltz. The almost entirely non-professional cast deliver superbly naturalistic performances—with Touré proving a standout—and the editing and cinematography ensure that the film’s narrative pace quickly picks up speed and never lets our involvement flag.

The ICA hosts monthly matinee screenings of films with accompanying talks that will spark discussion and touch upon the creativity of the medium as well as its power in representing social issues. The films shown are targeted at 16-19 year-olds.

The ICA offers accompanying Resource Packs with activities, discussion points and ideas for further engagement with the content of the screenings.

Girlhood, dir. Céline Sciamma, France 2014, 113 mins., French with English subtitles.