Bloom

What do young girls dream of today? Who are they? First, they are not all "she." Some prefer "they," others don't care about the pronoun they may be given. They identify as cisgender or non-binary, lesbian or bisexual, or even aromantic or abrosuexual. They are 16, 17, or 19 years old and are addicted to TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram. And while it's clear that they define themselves based on what these social networks reflect back to them, images of themselves and other girls who resemble them, it's equally clear that they are aware of how they present themselves online, what they seek, what they get out of it, and what they hope for. Captured with candor and frankness by Fanie Pelletier, this exercise in life and sexuality learning, in taking ownership of one's body and freedom through the screen of a smartphone, is deeply unsettling, eminently fascinating, and strangely touching. Alternating candid moments of real life as these young girls run in parks, skate on a public rink, lounge on a rooftop gazing at the night sky, savor burgers against the backdrop of the illuminated Olympic Stadium, swim in a lake, and scenes literally taken from their lives on TikTok or their videos and stories on Instagram, or even other unfamiliar girls encountered on these networks, Bloom goes further than the usual conventions of simple coming-of-age fiction cinema. Through the documentary language, the young director eloquently explores how these networks redefine the nature of today's young girls and serve, by their own admission, as a shock therapy—for the worse (social pressure, unrealistic comparisons, competition, masking of one's true personality and physical appearance, exacerbation of self-loathing) but also, fortunately, for the better (self-affirmation, empowerment, revelation of individuality, acceptance of one's body and self, struggle against unrealistic societal expectations).

Claire Valade
Critic and programmer