Images and mentions include gender dysphoria, puberty, fertility, pregnancy, miscarriage, sperm, testicles, and partial child nudity (Sasha gets out of bath and has on her bottom underwear and is in process of getting dressed and towel-drying her hair).
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.
Representations includes clothes shopping, apparel with logos and messages, computers, smartphones, and toy collections.
Positive Messages
a lot
Ability to express who you choose to be. Acceptance for who you are by others. Support and empathy from family and friends about your decisions.
Positive Role Models
a lot
Parents, siblings, and friends of Sasha, who is biologically a boy, are supportive of the child's decision to be a girl. They use pronouns "she" instead of "he" and seek a medical certificate from a health care professional who declares people should consider Sasha to be a girl. Sasha engages in ballet classes for girls, shops with family to buy girls' clothing.
Diverse Representations
some
Sasha is a biological boy who wants to be a girl. Cross-generational team of health care professionals who are women. BIPOC individuals are shown in the background of various film scenes.
Parents need to know that Little Girl is a French-language documentary about a young child, born with a penis, who identifies as a girl and wants her gender identity to be accepted and supported by others. Images and discussions include gender dysphoria, puberty, pregnancy, miscarriage, and partial child nudity (Sasha gets out of the bath and has on her bottom underwear and is in the process of getting dressed and towel-drying her hair). Language includes the word "pee-pee" to describe a penis, and disparaging phrases such as "freak show," "idiots," and "piss you off." Positive messages include the ability to express who you are, acceptance of others' differences, and support from friends about life decisions. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
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What's the Story?
In LITTLE GIRL, Sasha is a French second grader who was born with a penis but is aware that she is actually a girl. She tells her mother that "when I grow up, I'll be a girl." The family is supportive of Sasha's decision, adjusting their pronoun use and seeking a medical certificate from a health care professional who declares that people should consider Sasha a girl. The film also follows Sasha as she attends ballet classes and shops for clothing.
Award-winning LGBTQ+ documentarian Sébastien Lifshitz carefully captures the challenges faced by a family working to support a child as her gender identity becomes clear. "I did wonder if it was all my fault, wanting a little girl so badly that this happened," Sasha's mother says emotionally at one point. Adds Sasha's father, "I'm not a dad insisting he'll be a boy. I want Sasha to be happy." And both parents are supportive of their daughter being able to be exactly who she is. Sasha, however, endures emotional pain and sheds tears over the prejudice shown by classmates and teachers regarding her identity. But she remains brave with the support of family and friends. "Sasha is here," says her mother, "perhaps to help change people's attitudes. And I'm here to help her." Little Girl proves to be a positively insightful film that will aid kids, parents, and others interested in the issues faced by those who are transgender.
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Sabrina McFarland
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
