Review by Gary Tooze
Production:
Theatrical: Arte France Cinéma
Blu-ray: Strand Releasing
Disc:
Region: 'A'
(as verified by the
Oppo Blu-ray player)
Runtime: 1:53:18.708
Disc Size: 24,396,984,883 bytes
Feature Size: 23,141,692,032 bytes
Video Bitrate: 22.16 Mbps
Chapters: 8
Case: Standard Blu-ray case
Release date: May 19th, 2015
Video:
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Audio:
DTS-HD Master Audio French 3618 kbps 5.1 /
48 kHz / 3618 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 /
48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Subtitles:
English, none
Extras:
• Interview with Actress Karidja Touré
(2:56)
•
Original Theatrical Trailer (1:37)
•
Other Strand Trailers
Bitrate:
Description: From the director of WATER LILLIES and
TOMBOY, comes GIRLHOOD, the critically-acclaimed hit from Sundance
and the Director's Fortnight in Cannes. Fed up with her abusive family
situation, lack of school prospects and the "boys' law" in the neighborhood,
Marieme, a teenage girl in Paris, starts a new life after meeting a group of
three free-spirited girls. She changes her name, her style, drops out of school
and starts stealing to be accepted into the group. When her home situation
becomes unbearable, Marieme seeks solace in an older man who promises her money
and protection. Realizing this sort of lifestyle will never result in the
freedom and independence she truly desires, she finally decides to take matters
into her own hands. With dazzling visuals and music, GIRLHOOD is a
powerful and inspiring coming of age story for this generation.
The Film:
Céline Sciamma’s “Girlhood” can be
described (like so many movies these days)
as a coming-of-age story, and it honors the
genre, and its main character, with
exemplary sensitivity and sympathy. But even
as she stops at familiar stations on the
road to maturity — problems at home and
school, new friendships and first love — Ms.
Sciamma revels in the risky, reckless
exuberance of adolescence and in the sheer
joy of filming it.
The first shot of the movie is of a football
game — the American kind, with pads and
helmets and hard contact at the line of
scrimmage. This may come as a surprise in a
French movie. Shouldn’t they be playing
soccer? Another surprise: All of the players
are girls, mostly of African descent and
residents of a high-rise housing complex on
the outskirts of Paris. So right from the
start, before the plot has gotten underway,
“Girlhood” insists that the world
will not conform to easy categories or lazy
expectations.
Excerpt from the NY Times located HERE
Among the players is Marieme (Karidja Touré),
a teenager whose family live in the
high-rise schemes of suburban Paris. This is
her story - or rather it is her the story of
her multiple possibilities, as she tries on
various identities for size. Through the
course of the film, we will see how her life
has been shaped. When we meet her, she is
the Marieme molded by her family experience,
particularly by her elder brother who is
more of an oppressive presence than a
physical character, his sense of threat
lingering in the room like bad eau de
cologne long after he has left. The way
Marieme holds her younger sister's
outstretched hand as they settle down to
sleep tells you as much about his affect on
them as any act of violence.
Excerpt from Eye For Film located HERE
Image:
NOTE:
The below
Blu-ray
captures were taken directly from the
Blu-ray
disc.
Strand give us a single-layered
1080P transfer with a supportive bitrate for
the heartfelt and empowering 2014 gang-drama
Girlhood out of France. The
Blu-ray visuals
look decent in HD. It is tight with some
depth but the video presentation is not
overwhelming with eye-candy or gloss. The
film goes for a realistic edge and that is
exported by the tame, but competent, image
style. The
few darker scenes of
the film show no noise or artifacts. I presume this,
pristinely clean, appearance
is a strong replication of how the film was
viewed theatrically. Shot with the flexible Arri Alexa camera - this has a consistent
and appreciated video presentation.
CLICK EACH
BLU-RAY
CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Audio & Music:
The audio is transferred in a healthy DTS-HD
Master 5.1 surround at a whopping 3618 kbps
in the original French language. Effects are
an important facet in the film although
there is some adroit separation notable in a
few instances but the score by Jean-Baptiste
de Laubier (and some will recognize
Rihanna's Diamonds) is the bigger
beneficiary of the lossless rendering. It
sounds quite dense and melancholy but the
score is not used abundantly with the film
relying on empty pauses to extract a vérité
mood. There are optional English subtitles
and my
Oppo
has identified
it as being a region 'A' disc.
Extras:
Not much in the way of supplements. We get a
brief, 3-minute, interview with actress
Karidja Touré, an original theatrical
trailer and some other Strand Releasing
trailers.
Bottom line: I am now interested to
explore Céline Sciamma's previous films;
Tomboy and
Water Lilies with this being the
final installment of her “trilogy of youth”.
It's a sober take on gang-life, sexual
orientation and the struggle to find one's
place in the world.
The Strand
Blu-ray
offers an impressive presentation of this
rewarding film experience. Recommended!
Gary Tooze
May 11th, 2015
