Petite Fille

Sébastien Lifshitz

7-year-old Sasha is born in a boy’s body, but doesn’t feel like a boy at all. Sasha is a girl. Her parents do everything to make her childhood as happy as possible. But Sasha’s school resists seeing her as a girl. Beautiful and warm documentary about identity and acceptance.

‘When I grow up, I’m going to be a girl’, Sasha said when she was barely 3 years old. When her mother Karine told her that wasn’t possible, Sasha was heartbroken. For Karine, Sasha’s tears were the start of a journey to get her daughter accepted just the way she is.

In a gorgeous and tender style, director Sébastien Lifshitz observes Sasha as she plays, dresses up and takes ballet lessons. The viewer is brought very close to Sasha’s emotions and point of view. When Karine and Sasha visit a psychiatrist, we feel the weight put on the girl’s shoulders at an age when she should be as carefree as possible. Luckily, she is surrounded by loving parents and siblings. And when the principal and teachers at school are opposed to treating Sasha like a girl, Karine goes on the offensive.

Credits

Director
Sébastien Lifshitz
Year
2020
Country of production
France
Type
Documentary
Duration
85 minutes
Spoken language
French
Subtitles
NL | EN
World Sales
MK2
Dutch distributor
Imagine Film