Growth is painful, and Laure/Mickaël’s journey is no different in Tomboy.

| Feb 20, 2024

All the children in the cast act like real kids, not Hollywood stereotypes; they can be in turn sweet, cruel, petty and forgiving.

| Jul 20, 2023

Strikingly fresh and uncontrived, lively with wonderful performances.

| Original Score: A | May 9, 2023

As with her debut, Celine Sciamma has a knack for getting amazing performances out of her young actors. Particularly, Zoé Héran is a revelation. Her portrayal of a confused child (not of her sexuality but the sexual politics) is touching and deeply felt.

| Mar 21, 2021

Featuring an excellent and stunning performance by Zoé Héran, Tomboy is a film that needs to be seen by as many people as possible.

| Feb 3, 2021

'Tomboy', Céline Sciamma's second film as a director, to me seems as a subtle and very emotional coming-of-age portrait of childhood, self-acceptance and gender identity. [Full review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 7/10 | Jan 9, 2021

Observing Laure (the impeccably androgynous Zoe Heran) interact with her loving parents and sassy but thoroughly feminine kid sister is getting a privileged, all-access pass to a childhood paradise immediately before the loss of innocence...

| Jun 10, 2020

Tomboy falls apart when it comes time to deal with the stakes at hand, an irresponsibly rushed third act that squanders the film's ample goodwill.

| May 9, 2020

For much of the film, Mikhael is prevailingly happy. They have no label for their new gender presentation, and perhaps it's too early to define it, although as an adult, modern audience we may see them as trans or non-binary. [TOP 50 FILMS OF THE DECADE]

| Dec 4, 2019

Should make people sit up and pay attention, not only due to Sciamma's naturalistic script and instinctive directing, but also the remarkable ensemble of young talent that she has consolidated into one film.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Nov 27, 2018

Affecting, well-envisioned and delicately captured.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Aug 13, 2018

Since we are dealing with fresh-faced tweens, we are spared the gender histrionics to be found in the likes of The Crying Game or Boys Don't Cry. Those are indeed bigger films. But sometimes small things can pay off quite nicely.

| Nov 5, 2013

Tomboy is a lovely reminder that the French have long been famous for a quite different sort of film-about children.

| Jun 19, 2013

Far from surprising at any point, Tomboy nonetheless holds one's attention though its sheer force of observation.

| Original Score: 52/100 | Jul 24, 2012

The director's low-key approach to such a seemingly complex topic really illuminates the subject in both very basic and rather profound ways.

| Jul 15, 2012

'Tomboy' makes its points about gender identity and confusion without resorting to cheap laughs or overwrought drama.

| Original Score: 3/4 | May 4, 2012

This exquisite film is as pure as you can get; it's observational, it's minimalist, there's no intrusive music except where it is part of the action.

| Original Score: 4.5/5 | Mar 28, 2012

Sweet and well observed, the film takes us inside a typical family in a typical Paris suburb - and gives us a spin

| Mar 24, 2012

Sciamma's capturing of children at play is disarmingly accurate, perfectly showing the freewheeling nature of prepubescence in all its glory.

| Original Score: 4.5/5 | Mar 8, 2012

Brisk, precisely observed, and bracingly non-preachy in its examination of a very tricky subject.

| Mar 7, 2012