Luke McWilliams gives his review of the 2020 French film, Miss, starring Alexandre Wetter and Pascale Arbilot.
In school, nine-year-old Alex tells his classmates that when he grows up, he wants to become Miss France. After a hard 15 years, the now orphaned Alex has dimmed his light, spending his days at a gloomy and run-down boxing gym. After a chance reconnection with an old friend, Alex’s dream sparks back to light, and he calls upon his makeshift family for their help!
The cinematography by Renaud Chassaing is beautiful, capturing the rays of light that awaken Alex’s heart in his quest to find himself through competing in the Miss France beauty pageant. Parisian nights on the town see the streetlights burst into lens flares, with beauty found in the most unlikely places. Alex lives in a huge share house filled with an eclectic mix of characters who all step up to help. Bringing their specialised talents together, Alex’s team comprises social media experts, dressmakers, deportment tutors and even a sports psychologist.
Unlike Billy Elliot, where a boy openly navigates the competitive and female dominated world of ballet, Alex competes for Miss France incognito to allow his femininity to blossom. The most challenging obstacles to overcome, however, are the tall-poppy attitudes of those closest to him, and Alex’s own crippling self-doubt.
Verdict: A beautiful film with a fantastic performance from lead Alexandre Wetter that unfortunately and frustratingly careens into the well-worn and predictable morality tale formula. 3 stars.
Miss is playing at Dendy cinemas.
- Luke McWilliams | themovieclub.net
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