Little Girl in my opinion is a must see. An astonishingly respectful, person centred documentary; following little 7 yrs old Sasha as she & her family negotiate living fully as the girl she is. I'm in awe at the family doing this kindness for the kids that follow. My late friend and LGBT volunteer Gladys was indeed 7 yrs old when she knew she too was a girl way back in 1943. She didn't have the support or care wee Sasha has had from the true professionals looking out for her, prioritising listening to her and ensuring their work is focussed on her happiness at this essential stage in her life. I guess that is part of why this splendid documentary had such an impact upon me. I watched on Curzon Home Cinema on Mark Kermode's recommendation - I hope they bring it back. So many parents could benefit from sight of it, especially so seeing wee Sasha's mum struggles with the questions we might not think obvious. Her dad and brother are just the best too! I hope ultimately, there is a Blu-ray/DVD release too.
Reviews
2 Reviews
My Best Friend
(2018)
A very gentle and warm film
2 July 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Very much enjoyed this tale of a family who have relocated to give themselves space to grow as a family giving their kids a good start. The eldest is a reserved young man beginning to question his sexuality and going through a degree of making tentative steps in the same direction as his peers adding only to his questions. Enter the mix a childhood friend, the son of his father's friend who has reached out to him to take his son in to weather a bit of a storm at home. The new addition is much looser & willing to stretch rules, boundaries etc whilst still at heart a youngster with his own challenges too. What follows is a learning curve for both about trusting, sharing, loosening up and treading softly on the feelings of others including considering others at all. The older lad is kissed on the cheek by the younger having gotten a little high on a cannabis spliff. The older lad does not judge the situation & doesn't make a big deal of it. What changes is the warmth between them & to a degree the caring they have for each other. If you've seen North Sea Texas this film has much the same warmth between the two young leads but here there is no suggestion of a sexual relationship. What does come through is the parents have considered the closeness of the two & the apparent lack of any desire to get a girlfriend in their son. The mother makes it clear, they have no issues if feelings have developed and their son makes clear this isn't something he can define let alone discuss at this stage. The older lad hears news from back home and feels he must leave & despite the younger lad asking him to stay and face things out with his family's help, he slips away. The film isn't at all melancholy, everyone is learning and negotiating life with our young lad whilst sad at his loss of a closer male friendship than he'd hitherto experienced he does go forward safe in the knowledge he's loved and his judgement is respected in his home and family. I'm betting parents could gain some insights on letting go a little and trusting (with boundaries) the feelings, views and judgement of teenagers. It's definitely worth watching, and I'll happily view it again. Gently, warm hearted, realistic with a slight echo in places of "Beautiful Thing" 👍
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