The 7 Year Old Transgender Girl Who Impressed the Berlin Film Festival

Sébastien Lifshitz’s documentary Petite fille (Little Girl) follows Sasha, a seven-year-old trans girl from the French countryside, her struggle to be accepted as who she is, and presents the reactions of friends and family.



The Berlin Film Festival presents the movie with these words:

When she grows up, she will be a girl. This is something Sasha has dreamed of since childhood. Her family soon realises how serious she is. In addition to interviews with the parents, who acknowledge their daughter as such without hesitation, the film depicts the family’s tireless struggle against a hostile environment as well as their everyday lives.



We see Sasha at play, practising ballet and during a visit to a therapist specialising in gender identities.



At school, Sasha is not allowed to appear as a girl but must wear gender-specific boys’ clothes. Tenderly filmed images and close-ups of Sasha’s face create a gentle intimacy.



Sometimes, it is as if she does not understand why everything is so complicated and why she cannot simply be what she is and wear what she wants.



The Hollywood Reporter likes the film:

Sasha is now 7, and her mother and father show an open-mindedness to a very complex situation that’s exemplary and inspiring. Dad, who’s less of a talker and who isn’t all that present in the film, simply says: “It’s not a question of ‘tolerating,’ it’s Sasha and that’s it.” Mom also clearly champions Sasha’s right to determine her own gender and her journey is shown in more detail, even if the exact timeline, between observational moments and interview footage, is a little hazy in places. In a moving detail early on, Karine says: “Sasha feels like, no, is a girl,” correcting herself mid-sentence.

Her children friends, however, does not find it hard to accept her for who she is.

The movie is not available in regular theaters or streaming services… yet.

See also The Daily Beast.

Here’s Sasha’s mother, as presented in the movie trailer: