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Girls Will Be Girls Movie Review

Girls Will Be Girls is a 2024 Indian teenage drama film directed by Shuchi Talati and starring Preeti Panigrahi and Kani Kusruti. This is a very tender, complex character-driven drama.

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“Because all people have keys“

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In a strict boarding school nestled in the Himalayas, 16-year-old Mira discovers desire and romance, but her rebellious sexual awakening is disrupted by her overly controlling mother. This is not your standard Indian movie as it’s very subtle and dealing with teenage sexuality in a very frank manner. The reason behind this is obvious – it’s not an Indian production, it’s a co-production between France and India and the dialogue is also almost entirely in the English language. This gave the movie a sort of international feel that I grew to appreciate as it went along.

But the main theme of the movie is very much Indian and I would say Asian at its core. I am of course talking about the complex mother-daughter relationship that defines this story and that is very much emblematic of our stereotypical, but still truthful idea of Asian mothers. So yes, the basic idea is familiar by now, but where the film differentiates itself from others of its kin is in the sheer depth and nuance that writer-director Shuchi Talati brought to the table – the dialogue is very grounded and sparse, a lot is said through just facial expressions and body language, making for a very cinematic language that the film operates in.

Preeti Panigrahi is excellent in a very strong role. Mira’s story is one that is quite heartbreaking and also universally relatable across the globe. Yes, the specificity of Asian mothers is clearly present, but most of us have experienced controlling parents in one way or another. I related to that feeling of constantly feeling the need to validate yourself for your parents through school achievements. The sense of pressure that is consistent in Mira made for an overbearing viewing experience, which was exactly the point that the film was trying to make.

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The acting standout, however, has to be Kani Kusruti in the mother role. Anila is difficult to sympathize with, but eventually I’d come to understand her on an emotional level, which is a strong testament to the power of the film’s script. Kusruti starred in this year’s ‘All We Imagine as Light’, but this is a much more memorable and layered performance and one of the year’s best in my opinion. She did so much and she fully embodied every single decision and feeling that her character possessed.

Srinivas is comparatively much less interesting in what is clearly a female-driven movie, but he served his purpose and was quite believable overall. The film’s treatment of misogyny wasn’t as subtle as the rest of the script, but was probably needed given the circumstances of the plot. Girls Will Be Girls is sometimes repetitious, especially in that second act that went through the same motions over and over again, but the first act was excellent and the third act was genuinely touching.

The movie was wonderfully made across the board. The cinematography was terrific and capturing confidently every subtle nuance on screen. The score is minimal, but the soundtrack is quite modern and unique – that one British retro 70s song was a treat. This is a subtle family drama that isn’t narratively driven, but character-driven, but as somebody who appreciates this type of cinematic storytelling, I admired the craft on display here.

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