Despite its seemingly grim basis, Girlhood is far from a bleak film—being as much slice-of-life about a teenage girl making the best out of a rough situation. Vic joins an entertaining gang of ladies (one actually nicknamed lady) who accept her as their fourth member after their previous fourth got pregnant. She reinvents herself as a tough girl (kicking a rival gang member’s butt in a surprisingly exciting fight scene), while finding genuine comfort and joy from the other girls’ companionship. When Vic makes a difficult decision to leave home, her friends hug it out, sharing jokes to lighten her spirit in a very touching scene.
Girlhood contains beautiful art and cinematography, in particular the night scenes which are phenomenally designed around towering skyscrapers and effective lighting. When Vic first kisses her romantic interest the scene instantaneously goes from light to dark, signifying the moment’s intimate privacy before returning to light as they detach. The soundtrack amplifies Girlhood’s beauty, having a very electronic, tranquil rhythm. One of my favorite scenes involves the four teens renting a hotel room for the night—they drink, smoke, try on dresses, and begin a dancing sing-along to Rihanna's Diamonds. The singing scene is beautiful and fun, serene yet energetic. Blue lighting gives the blissful moment a rather sentimental mood; a moment Vic will look back on and smile—a time of ecstasy where her worries were out of mind, a time she may yearn for return. These scenes in Girlhood reminded greatly of my own teenage years, moments of bliss where friends were forever and growing up was eons away. Now I don’t live in France, nor am I black, nor am I female—yet Girlhood manages to produce better nostalgia than Boyhood could (a film about an American white boy growing up in the 90s). Girlhood is a wonderful film, a potent coming of age story which challenges its genre tropes by combining various elements into one vastly enjoyable tale.
