Girlhood had a blink-and-you-missed-it film release. Opening in January 2015, it was overshadowed by Oscar season buzz and another similarly titled, coming-of-age story, Boyhood. The similarities end there though. While Ellar Coltrane’s Mason has a diner menu full of opportunities to pick from and explore, Marieme’s options are limited and appear bleak. Young, black, and poor, Marieme (a subtle and mesmerizing portrayal by newcomer Karidja Toure) exists in the margins of Paris, both physically and socially. The rawness, honesty, and resounding energy of Girlhood allows it to transcend condescension and stereotypes. Celine Sciamma sets the tone with the juxtaposition of fifteen year old Marieme on the football field (American-style), powerful, bold, poised, and Marieme walking through the streets of her banlieue, her shoulders hunched, head down, a posture all too familiar to women around the world who’ve had to fight sexualization by men before they’ve even had a chance to define themselves. Throughout the film we see Marieme try on various personas (and hairstyles) and experiment with different ways of being as she traverses the nebulous space between adolescence and adulthood. Girlhood is a poignant film, sure to resonate with anyone who’s been forced to grow-up.- JBFC Programmer Gina Duncan