A pre-pubescent “Boys Don’t Cry” with a much sweeter tone, this thoughtful French comic drama follows Laure (Zoé Héran), a 10-year-old girl who yearns to be a boy.
With her close-cropped hair and flat chest, it’s easy for “Mikael” to blend in with the other boys who run around her new apartment complex during the lazy days of summer. Her much girlier little sister (the adorable Malonn Lévana) gamely agrees to keep her mouth shut about Laure’s scam in exchange for being allowed to play with the big kids.
“Tomboy” avoids passing judgment on Laure’s behavior or its motivation, though it does depict the confusion of her parents and the neighbor girl (Jeanne Disson) who harbors a crush on Mikael.
Director Céline Sciamma (“Water Lilies”) draws wonderfully natural performances from her young cast, and doesn’t shy away from an uncomfortable or pensive silence.
She also goes places an American filmmaker probably wouldn’t in her exploration of kids’ secret worlds: Laure strips off her shirt to play on the “skins” team in a soccer game, and fashions fake genitalia out of her little sister’s Play-Doh for a day at the swimming hole.