SYNOPSIS

Kim, Bella and Momo are three fourteen-year-old girls who discover a fantastic flower with magic qualities: by drinking its nectar they are transformed into boys and they enter a new world. At first they enjoy their newly found freedom, but soon Bella and Momo realize that there are downsides to it. Kim however gets seriously addicted…

Program Note

Kim, Momo, and Bella, girls who have been
 ridiculed and bullied at school for being ‘lesbos,’ drink the nectar of a
 mysterious flower and transform into the bodies of boys. The nectar temporarily
 turns them into boys, during which the three friends come across a new world
 where they can hang out and spend time with other boys. Unlike Momo, who is
 uncomfortable and uneasy about this unfamiliar situation, Kim and Bella rejoice
 over the fact that they are no longer bullied and can go on adventures with the
 other boys. However, the experience of this transformation eventually brings
 confusion not only in each of their sexual identities, but also into the
 relationships they share with each other. Bella starts developing special
 feelings for Kim, while Kim increasingly does not want to return to a girl’s
 body. Adapted from a Swedish Young Adult novel, this movie is a pioneer for the
 new “transgender body-swap fantasy” genre. Through their body-swap, these girls
 experience how boys their age build confidence, form friendships, and use and
 explore their bodies. They also become aware of the sexism, and the stark
 contrast between living as an unpopular girl and living as a popular, big-shot
 boy, that is apparent in their lives. The world is definitely bigger and better
 for boys, but the director of the film, Alexandra-Therese KEINING, who previous
 film, Kiss Me, was widely acclaimed, does not stop at this message, but uses
 this coming-of-age fantasy to allegorize transgender identities and the process
 of transitioning. Kim realizes that she has been trapped in the wrong body all
 this time. However, transitioning into a new body is neither the end nor the
 final destination, but simply another new beginning. Girls Lost conveys its message
 with a charming balance of the refreshing use of genre, captivating acting,
 magical realism, and the in-depth portrayal of teenagers’ dilemma over gender
 and sex identity, and is a unique queer film unlike any produced before. [CHO
 HyeYoung]