The bearded girl

June 3 ONLY

Wednesday June 3 –7 pm

Rated PG – 1hr 41min
Drama / Fantasy

The Bearded Girl, written and directed by Jody Wilson, is a clever, witty, modern, and joyful film that works as both a fable and a coming-of-age story. Set in a matriarchal society of bearded women led by Jessica Paré, the film follows a family whose identity, history, and livelihood are tied to a circus-freak-show world inhabited by a rich diversity of characters: little people, conjoined brothers, and other bodies and presences that turn this community into a spectacle, but also into a space of belonging. Yet this world is under threat, as developers seek to take over their land, giving the film an additional political layer beneath its playful and colourful surface.

A sideshow can be a magical place, and for those who live and work there, it can be a safe haven. For Cleo (O’Driscoll), her role in the family-run exhibit is clear: as the 88th generation of proud, bearded women, she follows their legacy of sword-swallowing, whilst her overbearing mother Lady Andre (Jessica Pare) wants her to be obedient and stick with tradition. But, outside the show tents is a big world, and when Cleo’s fresh ideas for their sword show aren’t embraced, and she clashes with her mother, she gets the itch to leave her talented fringe family to find love, and perhaps a new normal, that doesn’t include facial hair.

The film is first and foremost a coming-of-age story, and an interesting one at that. It’s an excellent character study about a young girl that wants her own life, despite being pushed a certain way by her family since she was born. She’s expected to keep the traditions going by performing in her sideshow alongside her mother, but Cleo knows there’s more for her out there. Her sister wasn’t born with the same facial hair as Cleo, and could do anything she wants, so why is she so stuck on staying with the sideshow? Desperate to be treated the same as any other, Cleo wants to find love and live a life she chooses, but is it possible to have both, and what happens when those in her new life discover her secret?

The Bearded Girl is exceptionally patient, and that isn’t a jab; it’s a compliment. Wilson isn’t interested in shock value or exploiting its carnival performers. On the contrary, we don’t get enough of the background “freaks” in this film, who tend to steal most of the scenes of the film they appear in, especially Newton (Linden Porco), who plays Lady Andre’s right-hand man. Cleo’s family are the performers she was raised by, but the script keeps the focus on the push and pull between mother and daughter, which tends to slip into the more generic genre rules that Wilson is toying with.

The true strength of The Bearded Girl lies in its photographic compositions and cinematography. For her feature-length debut, Wilson worked with cinematographer François Dagenais, who has dozens of credits to their name, including some episodes of the hit television show Yellowjackets. That blend of fresh filmmaker and seasoned cinematographer lent itself wonderfully to the gorgeous shots captured on screen. The colors are lush and textured and it’s clear the crew spent many hours composing and framing each shot to make the most of the film’s modest budget.

The Bearded Girl asks what it means to live under the gaze of others when one’s body is read as abnormal or excessive. But it does so in its own register: more colourful, more playful, and more openly shaped by fable and spectacle. Jody Wilson’s film is both entertaining and meaningful, a vibrant coming-of-age tale about learning how to live with a body and an identity that society insists on treating as other.

The director, Jody Wilson (no relation to Laura, right?) will be in attendance.