Girl (2018)

Girl is special because it treats a turbulent inner life with the same rigor and grace as a ballet rehearsal: every gesture counts, every silence speaks. Lukas Dhont directs with a quiet, watchful tenderness, letting routines—class, locker rooms, doctor visits—accumulate into a portrait that feels intimate rather than sensational, anchored by Victor Polster’s remarkably committed performance. The film’s tone is restrained and absorbing, with clean visuals and a steady emotional intensity that pulls you close to Lara’s determination and pain without turning her into a headline. It is, however, a tough sit at times, with explicit material and self-harm content, but if you can handle that, it’s a deeply affecting drama about discipline, identity, and the high cost of asking a body to become a home.

Girl is clearly aiming for an intimate, empathetic portrait of a driven young dancer trying to survive the twin pressures of elite ballet and gender dysphoria, and it’s filmed with a quiet, serious intensity. The problem is that it often narrows that experience into relentless bodily suffering—lingering on nudity, medical scrutiny, and escalating self-harm in a way many viewers find exploitative or emotionally one-note rather than illuminating. Representation-wise, some will also struggle with the perspective and casting choices, which can make the film feel like it’s observing Lara from the outside instead of letting her fully exist beyond pain. If you’re looking for a more affirming, expansive trans coming-of-age story, this may leave you upset or drained, but if you can handle very heavy material, the performances and disciplined atmosphere do land.