Born in a small, provincial French town, Anaïs and Emma have been best friends since childhood. It's a friendship that's blind to differences in social backgrounds and character. Given incredible access, Sébastien Lifshitz painstakingly filmed Emma and Anaïs' transformation over the years, during a period when their physical, emotional and intellectual development is dramatic. We first meet them aged 13, their lives are dominated by boys, teachers and arguing with their mums. But as we witness them near adulthood, their journey is both fascinating and surprisingly moving. At the same time, the influence of their environment and family circumstances becomes increasingly apparent. New experiences, everyday conversations and events both personal and political anchor the film, creating a uniquely textured and deeply personal portrait of two young French women.
The touching portrait of eight-year-old Sasha, who questions her gender and in doing so, evokes the sometimes disturbing reactions of a society that is still invested in a biological boy-girl way of thinking.
Director Michel Leclerc's mother and her friends (and legendary mime Marcel Marceau) were amongst 500 World War II orphans and foster kids raised by Yvonne & Roger Hagnauer, aka Goëland and Pingouin, code names for these strong-willed Resistance members. Between 1941-1970 at their school 'Maison de Sèvres', they dedicated their lives to innovative educational methods to help the children heal and blossom. Leclerc, through archive footage and interviews, uncovers in this fascinating, rich documentary a remarkable couple who left an indelible mark in all these children's hearts. Beginning with the story of his mother Léa, Leclerc gives us a unique account of freedom, education and openness, and something of what people lived and experienced during the war.