From Sundance: ‘Girls Will Be Girls’ Embraces the Awkward

“Girls Will Be Girls,” directed by Shuchi Talati, is not afraid to get awkward. The film, which recently debuted at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, delights in long silences, furtive stares, and strangely formal encounters. Its story follows Mira (Preeti Panigrahi), the top student in an Indian boarding school.

Mira seems to do everything right — she aces all her tests, is the first girl Head Prefect in the school’s history, and is favored by every teacher. Yet, she still has one facet of life to figure out: relationships. The film shows how Mira comes of age as her relationship with a boy at school, Sri (Kesav Binoy Kiron), develops. Through Mira’s journey to understand herself and her connections with others, the audience discovers the beauty in awkwardness, and how horrible yet amazing girlhood can feel.

Since the film is all about growing up, the production of “Girls Will Be Girls” is ingrained with a fuzzy, nostalgic atmosphere that evokes comforting memories. The scenes are shot in a cozy 4:3 aspect ratio, which fills the frame with the characters’ faces. This closeness emphasizes the nuanced emotions at play and is especially powerful in a scene where Mira dances before a mirror — reveling in her new relationship with her body.

The color grading is also drenched in warm and golden tones, making the film feel like a distant memory. When a more awkward or formal scene appears, the shots are tinted with a gray and cold tone, as if Mira cringes to remember. These dual modes of representing the past highlight both the awkward and beautiful parts of Mira’s coming of age. “Girls Will Be Girls” does not shy away from the more complicated parts of growing up as a young girl: discovering sexuality, dealing with crass men, and separating yourself from your parents. While Mira finds a boy that she likes, she also undergoes a painful separation from her mother (Kani Kusruti). Talati shows Mira’s cringey first kiss with as much energy and earnestness as her success in school or her discovery of her own beauty.

While “Girls Will Be Girls” is incredibly personal, sometimes the audience may still feel detached from the narrative. Mira’s development is compelling, but sometimes the plot barely inches forward. This slowness occasionally acts to the film’s benefit, like when Mira stiffly and silently reacts to a schoolmate’s inappropriate comments, yet the pacing may leave audiences bored. Mira’s relationship with Sri is key to driving the plot forward, but it is unclear what final crescendo the film is approaching. While the anticipation does in part pay off at the film’s emotional climax the pacing usually detracts from Mira’s story.

While the movie drags at times, the actors’ performances breathe a more vibrant energy into the film. There is an especially promising and engaging dynamic established between Mira and her mother. While Mira wants to discover what it’s like to grow up, her mother tries to shelter her from the pain that she felt in her own adolescence. However, in attempting to protect Mira, her mother inadvertently hurts her child by denying her the freedom that she needs. Mira’s mother becomes obsessed with Sri and keeps him a safe distance from Mira — even forcing him to sleep in the same bed with her. This intervention is a unique way to show the tension that can arise between a daughter who is growing up and a mother who never had the chance to experience childhood. Panigrahi’s performance captures how rage, love, and annoyance can accumulate into a confusing mix of emotions toward our parents.

“Girls Will Be Girls” looks girlhood straight in the eye, embracing every part of the mess that comes alongside it. Although the film may lose some audience members when its pacing drags, it still will charm with its ability to stay honest about the reality of growing up. Talati is somehow able to make the classic bildungsroman tale fresh, which feels almost as triumphant as Mira’s ascension into womanhood.

—Staff writer Hannah E. Gadway can be reached at hannah.gadway@thecrimson.com.