Tomboy (2011)

When a French family moves to a new apartment, 10 year old Zoé Héran is immediately mistaken for a boy, spending the rest of the summer being Mickaël amongst their new friends. With this new identity, they are able to throw off many of the prescribed gender norms, continuing to wear the clothes they like, roughhousing with the boys, and playing with makeup with girls. There is a lot of sensitivity in this portrayal, not even committing to how the character really feels about their gender, just that for this moment in time, they are enjoying the change in how people view them. Unfortunately many people, adults and children alike, don’t have the language available to discuss gender exploration and the idyllic summer must come to an end with the harsh realities of fall.