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In 20th Century Women, Greta Gerwig's character says, "What? I'm menstruating? Why is that a big deal?" And it isn't. But for some reason, most filmmakers don't want to tackle this important part of womanhood on screen. Lisa Brühlmann, however, does just that. Her feature debut, Blue My Mind, is all about the changes that a teenage girl's body goes through. But what Brühlmann does is shape this into a fantasy/horror film — a coming of age tale reminiscent of Raw and The Lure. When Mia (Luna Wedler) gets her period for the first time, her body begins to transform into something unnatural, as though Brühlmann is visually representing the patriarchy's treatment of menstruation as body horror. Wedler gives a compelling performance as a teen who is experiencing all the angst that comes at this time in a girl's life, and her tearful rejection of the changes she is going through — and the damage that causes to her psyche — is hard to watch. But while Blue My Mind does present elements that are prevalent in coming-of-age narratives, the director manages to blend them into something that's as fresh as the film's blue-hued cinematography. |
Blue My Mind screens Sunday, February 17th at TIFF Next Wave. Its runtime is 1 hr. 37 min.
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