Ep 14 - Turning Red

“I’m thirteen, deal with it!” This one goes out to all you girls out there. ‘Turning Red’ (2022), which ought to be called “The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Adolescence,” has topped out as my favorite period piece. Led by an all-female creative team, this coming-of-age story gets in the weeds about growing up as a girl, and director Domee Shi’s bold visual style makes talking about uncomfortable topics, like menstruation, a little less icky. ‘Turning Red’ beautifully addresses themes of girlhood, and sources of identity for adolescents. I’ll get into what makes movies so darn special, and what animation like that of ‘Turning Red’ brings to the table like no other medium. Feel free to donate to the podcast at Patreon.com/HalflingCinephile and get you some Halfling Cinephile merch, access special content, and you can leave me feedback and give me other movie suggestions for future episodes!