Girl-Boy

"Are you a girl or a boy?"

Through the lives of TINUKE, FRED, ELLA, and LARA, GIRL-BOY captures the complexities of gender expression, societal pressure, and self-acceptance in Nigeria. Tinuke's journey begins with a pivotal encounter where a stranger asks why she looks like a boy, sparking her self-discovery and shaping her desire to embrace her true self despite pressures to conform to femininity. Fred, raised in a patriarchal household, gives up playing football, despite being the best player on her school's all-boys team to maintain peace with her father, who believes football makes her less desirable to men. Ella reflects on whether her mother's masculine presentation influenced her own or if it was shaped by growing up with male cousins. Lara recalls her childhood hustling in the market, which fostered her early independence. As they grow older, their struggles intensify. Tinuke and her friends are wrongfully detained by police, highlighting the dangers faced by queer Nigerians, especially those who do not fit into the gender binary. Fred is humiliated at a Christmas party when her gender is questioned and faces tension with her mother, especially after her father's truth sayer labels her a lesbian. Ella is frequently mistaken for a man and, on one occasion, reveals her singlet to assert her gender. Lara shares how her appearance limits job opportunities, as employers often seek "a girl, not a boy-looking girl." Over time, each woman reaffirms her identity, challenges gender norms, and embraces her individuality in a society that demands conformity. Tinuke grows confident in her gender-non-conforming identity and gains her parents' acceptance. Fred leaves her hometown to escape familial pressures and pursue a job she loves. Lara embraces her masculinity despite the backlash, while Ella asserts her beauty and identity on her own terms, challenging stereotypical expectations of womanhood, though prejudice persists.

Trailer... here