Identity In Film

The films The Adventures of Félix, directed by Oliver Ducastel and Jacques Martineau, and Tomboy , directed by Céline Sciamma, each cause viewers to question the identities of the characters within the films and maybe even their own identities. Due to the directors’ use of similar styles of self-discovery and equivalent identities , connections can be found between the main characters of both films, Félix and Mikäel. Additionally, varying styles of narration communicate numerous complimentary ideas of identity and self. Through the creation of personal quests on the part of Félix in The Adventures of Félix and Mikäel in Tomboy, the narrator uses various narrative techniques to express both characters’ explorations and discoveries of their …show more content…
They are an outsider in their own home once their parents discover their use of the name Mikäel because of their parents’ uncertainty of how to understand and support their child’s exploration of their gender. This is most notably depicted in the scene when their mother forces them to wear a dress and tell their friends they are female. Once Mikäel begins trying to pass among their friends as a boy, their friends also create a sense in which Mikäel is an outcast due to their lack of previous experience in a masculine role . During a few scenes, Mikäel feels they need to observe other boys in the group instead of participating in order to learn masculine mannerisms. This is seen when they do not play the first game of soccer , but instead, watch the boys play, learning different tricks that they use and the style in which they play. Since both Félix and Mikäel are each from different areas of the country from the people they befriending, people often identify them as outsiders. Their identities as outsiders, along with their queer identities, help connect the two characters and their journeys of self-discovery through both …show more content…
Both movies take place in a lull portion of Félix’s and Mikäel’s lives . The Adventures of Félix occurs during Félix’s unemployment, and Tomboy occurs while Mikäel is on summer vacation as they await the beginning of a new school year in a new school . The uncertainty and lack of commitment required from each character allows for them to take time for internal reflection and evaluation of their identities. Because they have this unregulated time, both characters feel a need to reflect primarily outside of their home, Félix away from his boyfriend’s opinion and Mikäel away from their mother’s opinion. Moreover, both Félix and Mikäel are discovering their identities during a change in their family: Félix‘s mother recently died, and Mikäel’s mother is pregnant with a boy