Tomboy 2011

Laure is a curious, resourceful 10-year-old girl who moves with her family to a new address in Paris. On a bright afternoon, she spots a group of neighborhood boys playing outside her window and, drawn to their world, she ventures out to join them. The moment she steps into the circle, the kids assume she’s a boy, and Laure quickly invents the name “Mickaël” to fit their expectations. From there, the dynamic of the new street unfolds: Mickaël becomes a regular presence, quickly befriending Lisa and the other boys as they sprint after soccer balls and share small adventures around the apartment complex.

As the summer unfolds, Mickaël navigates a growing bond with Lisa. When invited to go swimming, Laure retreats into the act of dressing as a boy, even going so far as to cut a one-piece swimsuit into male swim briefs and fashion a discreet prop to complete the disguise. The ruse deepens as Mickaël and Lisa deepen their closeness, and a kiss between them hints at something tender and complicated beneath the surface of their play. A pivotal moment arrives when Lisa looks at Mickaël and gently remarks, “You look good as a girl.” Laure, caught between two worlds, hides her face under a hoodie, but her mother’s initial warmth and encouragement to lean into femininity remind Laure that she isn’t alone in this decision.

Meanwhile, Laure’s precocious six-year-old sister Jeanne begins to suspect the truth. When Lisa comes by and meets Jeanne, the younger girl pieces together that Laure has been presenting as a boy. Rather than exposing Laure, Jeanne makes a heartfelt bargain: if Laure will invite her on all the summer outings, she’ll welcome Mickaël as a “big brother” and keep the secret. This pact strengthens the siblings’ bond, and Jeanne even helps trim Mickaël’s hair to look more boyish, vowing to protect the disguise.

Conflict bubbles up after an incident where Mickaël fights with a boy who pushed Jeanne. The visitors—a mother and her son—arrive with claims about the boy’s behavior, prompting Laure’s mother to act as a mediator who plays along with the ruse when the visitors depart. Yet the underlying tension thickens the air, and Laure’s mother later scolds Laure for pretending to be a boy. Jeanne, caught between loyalty and truth, does her best to support Laure while keeping the secret.

The pressure culminates in a painful moment when Lisa sees Mickaël in a dress after Laure is forced to visit Lisa’s apartment. Horrified and unsure how to react, Lisa reels back, and the sight reverberates through the group and the street. The humiliation is compounded by the whispers of the other children, who begin to question whether Mickaël is really a girl. In a tense woodland interlude, Laure, now in tank top and boyish shorts after discarding the blue dress, overhears the neighborhood’s chatter as the boys close in to test the truth. Lisa stands between Mickaël and the crowd, but the moment is heavy with pressure: the peers insist on checking, and Lisa reluctantly looks, finding herself swept into a moment of painful confrontation. Mickaël sinks into tears, and Lisa’s eyes reveal the weight of what she’s been asked to see.

The summer arc closes on a quiet, hopeful note. Laure’s mother has given birth to a baby boy, and the family settles into the rhythm of a growing household, while Laure herself teeters between the urge to retreat and the search for acceptance. Hope flickers when Laura spots Lisa waiting outside the window. Gathering courage, Laure steps outside, and after a long pause, Lisa finally asks for Laure’s real name. “My name is Laure,” she answers, and a small smile appears, signaling a fragile, tender bridge between the two worlds she inhabits.

You look good as a girl.