GIRLS LOST/ POJKARNA

Sweden, 2015, 106 minutes, Colour.
Directed by Alexandra Therese Keining.

Girls Lost is a film about adolescent girls, three bonding strongly together, emotions and affections, and criticised and bullied by the boys at school for being lesbian. The film offers ugly images of arrogant boys, their sexism and their violent and verbal bullying.

The three girls are confident in their friendship, are comfortable together, discover a plant and cultivate it and taste its nectar which moves the film into magical realism. When they drink, they are transformed into male versions of themselves (with female actors as the girls and male actors as their masculine forms). Appearing as male gives the girls a great freedom, acceptance by the boys, moving comfortably amongst them.

It is different for one of the girls, Kim, who is already somewhat comfortable with her male side but appreciates being a boy, appearance, attitudes, that, really, under the female surface she is a boy. She betrays the agreement between the three girls and continues to transform herself, becoming friendly with a boy, Tony, to whom she is attracted and with whom she participates in a robbery. This evokes a reaction from the other two girls, one of whom is generally in love with her.

While the film offers some reconciliation between the three girls, it does end with Kim going off to a future by herself, to find her identity.

1. A film about 14-year-olds? Adolescent situations, developing characters, identity?

2. The Swedish setting, the town, homes, school, sports fields, the woods, gathering places for gangs, robberies? The musical score?

3. The title, the focus on the girls, the focus on boys? The girls becoming boys?

4. The realism, the magic realism, the mysterious plant, cultivation, the nectar, the transformation from girls into boys? The girls behaving as boys?

5. The focus on the girls, their friendship, the abuse and being lesbian, the girls and their affection, together, being bullied by the boys, verbal abuse, physical? The activities at school, the boys blocking the way, the sporting attempts and failures? The girls hanging out together? Parents and family? The plant, cultivation? The leaves, the juice, drinking the juice?

6. The transformation of the three girls into boys? Different actors? Resemblances or not? The three as boys, being accepted as boys? Kim and Tony, the attraction, together? The reaction of Momo and Bella? Intriguing experiences? The return to themselves?

7. The importance for Kim, the initial focus on her being chased in the woods, her boyish appearance, her mother? Her life, at home, at school, the bullying? Lesbian tendencies? Or transgender? Her being comfortable being a boy? Her activities, the friendship with Tony, hanging out with him, the robbery and getting the money for the sale? Her attraction to him, swimming together, expressions of affection? His reaction – and his kissing the girl? The dilemma for Kim, going off by herself, betrayal of the friends, the nectar, Momo and her expression of love for her? The finale, going off – to what future, to what identity?

8. Momo and Bella, 14-year-old girls, sharing the experience with Kim? Momo and the lesbian affection for Kim? The experiences of the girls as boys? Feelings of betrayal by Kim?

9. Tony, friendship with Kim, his activities with the gang, stealing, getting Kim to help, the payment for the stolen goods? Using the girl? Affection for Kim, the swimming – and his reaction?

10. The other boys at school, the heartless bullying and name calling?

11. The teachers, not intervening to help the girls, amazed at Kim’s sports prowess?

12. The role of the parents and teachers – close to their children, not?