The Big Picture

Girls Will Be Girls offers crucial commentary on misogyny, highlighting the challenges faced by teenage girls in navigating societal expectations and sexism. The film is an engaging coming-of-age tale with excellent chemistry at the core of the central romance. Girls Will Be Girls sidelines the heart of the film, the mother-daughter relationship, in favor of a more stereotypical teen romance.

“Are you still scared of your mom?” asks Sri (Kesav Binoy Kiron), our protagonist Mira’s (Preeti Panigrahi) first love, as they recount stories from their childhood. “No,” she answers. “Now I just can’t stand her.” This exchange provides a solid snapshot summary of Girls Will Be Girls from first-time filmmaker Shuchi Talati. The premise is simple and not altogether new: high achiever Mira discovers a whole new world when she falls for Sri, a fellow student at her strict boarding school. However, both the school staff and Mira’s warm yet watchful mother, Anila (Kani Kusruti), threaten to keep them apart romantically. Throughout its nearly two-hour runtime, Talati explores timeless themes of how familial and societal expectations affect teenage relationships — particularly mother-daughter dynamics in Indian culture.

Girls Will Be Girls Follows the journey of 16 year old Mira, who’s sexy, rebellious coming of age is disrupted by her young mother who never got to come of age herself. Release Date January 20, 2024 Director Shuchi Talati Cast Kani Kusruti , Jitin Gulati , Preeti Panigrahi , Kesav Binoy Kiron Runtime 90 minutes

What is ‘Girls Will Be Girls’ About?

As its tongue-in-cheek name — a play on the phrase “boys will be boys,” which is frequently used to excuse bad behavior from young men — suggests, Girls Will Be Girls examines the unique challenges of being a teenage girl, especially when it comes to navigating their male peers. Even as children, they can’t escape the misogyny and sexism embedded in nearly everything. There are always much higher expectations put on girls, evident in the way Anila often babies Sri — letting him take naps and sleep in — while getting on Mira’s case about using all her free time to study.

Girls are also the ones constantly responsible for brushing off romantic advances and suffering the vitriol when doing so. If they don’t, they’re seen as promiscuous by the adults, while the boys are simply being normal teens. One of the most powerful storylines comes in the form of boys hiding under the stairs and taking pictures up girls’ skirts. Yet when a disgusted Mira calls out the abhorrent behavior, she not only faces a dangerous reaction from the boys themselves but also a backlash from the teacher she confides in about the issue. The famous Margaret Atwood quote, “Men are afraid that women will laugh at them; women are afraid that men will kill them,” rings true throughout the film, especially in a chilling scene in its final act.

Overall, though, the film has a pretty light touch, which makes it a breezy watch. But make no mistake — Girls Will Be Girls is still groundbreaking in its willingness to showcase taboo topics, playing out like a slightly more mature version of Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. at times. In the same way Margaret rawly captures early puberty, Girls Will Be Girls fearlessly depicts the next step of growing up. Though never graphic or exploitative, sex education is not shied away from, both the formal, anatomical kind and the more personal, exploratory type. Mira practices kissing her hand in the shower, scans her body in the mirror, and even touches herself with the help of a stuffed animal. The latter perfectly symbolizes where Mira is in her life — stuck in the limbo between adolescence and adulthood, a butterfly both trapped in a cocoon and pinned inside a glass case, constantly being watched.

And that’s not the only thing Mira is torn between. Mira is at the top of her class, even earning the prestigious position of Head Prefect — the first girl to get the title in the school’s history. She struggles to balance her academic ambition and her growing interest in spending time with Sri, as well as the expectation from her teachers that she dole out discipline to her fellow students while staying loyal to her friends.

‘Girls Will Be Girls’ Should’ve Included More of This Storyline
Preeti Panigrahi and Kani Kusruti as Mira and Analia in Girls Will Be Girls

The romance between Mira and Sri is sweet, thanks in large part to the chemistry between Panigrahi and Kiron. From the moment they hang up an astronomy club poster together, you know something is brewing between them — something that’s easy to root for even as it takes away from another storyline. Their sneaking around feels exciting and anxiety-inducing, even if the pacing of their budding dynamic does drag a bit. Panigrahi has natural innocence and intelligence alike that make Mira’s insecurities and doubts feel agonizing and high stakes, and Kiron brings charisma to the role that makes Sri’s smooth-talking not only believable but irresistible.

Girls Will Be Girls thrives in its moments of physical intimacy, revealing much about its characters and their dynamics with tiny touches. This is a credit to Talati’s direction, as two fingers lightly brushing together is seen as much more meaningful and romantic than sex. The fact that connection and joy are found in living room dance parties is a cliché at this point, sure, but it’s hard not to crack a smile when they happen anyway.

The physical intimacy is not strictly romantic, either. Mira and Anila’s key moments revolve around Anila trying to help Mira do things like wax her legs and put on her sari, though Mira often rejects or complains about it. That’s why the sparse moments of Mira not only allowing and accepting such acts but initiating them to Anila are so beautiful. But I can’t help but wonder if they’d hit even harder if we spent more time with Mira and Anila. Though central to the plot, their relationship is unfortunately underdeveloped, and while it has rich potential, it ends up being the weakest aspect. It’s a real shame, as Kusruti does a wonderful job with the material she has, playing Anila with a combination of subtle strength and nuanced nervousness.

‘Girls Will Ge Girls’ Doesn’t Fully Connect Its Past and Present

Mira hates Anila, though it’s hard to unlock exactly why. Is it jealousy for the way she dotes on Sri and the compliments Sri constantly pays her? Or bitterness for her trying to keep them apart? Perhaps she feels suffocated since her mother has high expectations of her. Maybe it’s a combination of all of them, or maybe it’s just natural rebellion. After all, teen girls hate their mothers without a tangible, logical reason all the time — it’s realistic. The issue is the movie makes it seem like there is a specific reason — one that’s never revealed. We get hints about Anila’s past — she attended the same school Mila is, though the boys and girls used to be separated save for two annual events back then, and her mother was furious when she found out she was seeing a boy — but it never amounts to much. The past doesn’t inform the present in as impactful a way as it could.

Girls Will Be Girls feels like it holds back, worried about giving us too much exposition and, in turn, keeping us on the surface of these characters instead of digging into their deeper, more compelling parts. It doesn’t give us as much background as we crave on Anila, and while all of the characters are likable and relatable, their personalities can fall a bit flat and feel one-dimensional. The conflicts are small and slow-moving, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I found myself waiting for a moment of catharsis that never really came.

While there are glimmers of real risk and originality in the writing, it often plays it too safe, and the sidelining of the mother-daughter relationship in favor of the more cookie-cutter romance feels to blame, even if the conclusion of said romance subverts expectations while feeling painfully true to life. The film has all the makings of something fresh and elevated, but it ultimately establishes itself as a solid yet still somewhat stereotypical teen romance with sparks of more interesting, daring fare sprinkled throughout.

Luckily, those sparks are promising enough that I’m excited to see what Shuchi Talati does next as she continues honing her voice. It’s clear she has a lot of important things to say and the chops to say them in a way that’s both entertaining and authentic.

Girls Will Be Girls REVIEWGirls Will Be Girls ultimately establishes itself as a solid yet still somewhat stereotypical teen romance with sparks of more interesting, daring fare sprinkled throughout. ProsOffers crucial and compelling commentary on misogyny Is an engaging coming-of-age tale Has excellent chemistry at the core of the central romance ConsSidelines the mother-daughter relationship despite it being the heart of the film Characters can feel underdeveloped Makes safe choices that lack bite and fall into cliche territory

Girls Will Be Girls had its World Premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.