Girls Lost

This might be the worst movie I've ever watched. Such a bad dialogue, bad actors and bad editing if I could I would give it -5

Kim, Momo and Bella are three teenage girls going to a highly unenlightened school I Sweden. They are different – lesbians being the label the other kids give them. The three of them are alone together and cocoon themselves off away from the pain and ridicule as much as they can.

Then one day a package of plant seeds arrives and it contains a seed that they had not ordered, so they plant it in the greenhouse and it miraculously grows into a flowering beauty overnight. Then, as in a Fairy Tale of old, they each taste the juice of its fruits. The results are brilliant and leads them on to a journey of discovery about their true selves.

Now I thoroughly enjoyed this – the Fairy Tale element really worked even though I normally dislike such contrivances and devices. The acting is all excellent as is the direction and the story has a vibrancy that carries you with it – completely recommended.

I don't think I've been this enchanted by the possibilities of cinema since I watched "The NeverEnding Story", as a kid! The two films aren't at all alike, in theme - but they both gave me the same sense of wonder. The music and soundtrack plays a part in this; it just envelops you like a warm, comforting blanket, drawing you in.

Thinking about the subject, it's almost impossible for me to say what made me connect with this, in the way that I did.

The thing is, I've always known who I'm supposed to be (I haven't always LIKED who I am, but I'm certain that it was meant to happen). I can't imagine feeling ill at ease, and yet suddenly having the opportunity to change it... I can't imagine how intoxicating such a radical switch would be.

Except that now I have an inkling of an idea, because I watched this film... It's too reductive to call it a 'young adult' work, as I have seen it labelled. It should be required viewing for anybody who has the innate curiosity to try and understand how it feels to be in someone else's shoes.

Beautiful, harsh, poetic and strange - it is all of these things, and more... A sublime film.

Girls Lost is a movie about identity. It follows the story of three teenage girls - Kim, Momo, and Bella - who get bullied at school and pretty much keep to themselves. Everything changes when they find a plant with unique magic powers - it allows them to transform into boys.

From the synopsis one would assume the movie is a fantasy story about the girls (now boys) and their adventures. This is not true. The magical element is simply a plot device used for exploration of both gender - when the girls discover they get treated very differently when they are boys - and sexual identity - when characters experiment with their feelings in all possible configurations, be it girl/girl, boy/boy or girl/boy. This is taken even further when each of them has to answer who they really are and what is important to them when Kim realises she is really a boy on the inside.

The movie is very good at building a unique climate, with cinematography, lighting and music working together very well. The acting is also really good, as even though the girls are played by different actors after they turn into boys, I had no problem believing they are still the same people.

The only issue I have with this movie the fact that sometimes it asks the viewer to suspend their disbelief a bit too much, like when no one notices that two of the girls use their real names when they are boys. However, I can forgive that, as I believe the movie is meant to be treated as a metaphor rather than anything else. And when seen as such, it is quite moving and memorable.

Girls Lost is a very unique film, a gem, beautifully filmed and put together and whilst many of the strange 'trippy' sequences did throw me a little, all in all the film is a great watch albeit rather uncomfortable to watch when the school bullies are acting like the horrible human beings they are.

The cast are fantastic and from the moment they appear on screen, there isn't an unconvincing scene within the movie. I wasn't totally sure what sort of film to expect when the opening credits for Girls Lost began. But the film is definitely a hidden gem. And by that I don't mean the film hasn't been seen, I just mean that because its a subtitled film that doesn't have a major studio behind it, that the film probably hasn't been seen by as many people as the film deserves to be seen by. If you are a fan of Young Adult movies, then definitely check out Girls Lost when it hits the screens in November,