‘Upon Her Lips’ is back with new instalment ‘Girl Power’. Featuring films from France, Brazil and French Guiana, the collection gives four different looks into the lives of queer women. Each short is very different from the next, and the series continues to life the lid of what life is like for queer women across the world. As always, it’s a reminder that the world we live in is very different from the experiences of others, and the series continues to spotlight important film-making talent that might otherwise be ignored.
The collection opens with Elhachmia Didi-Alaoui’s ‘Daughter of Sin’, which tells the story of 20-year-old Yasmine (Laure-Kenza Aazizou). A Franco-Maghreb woman, Yasmine has moved away from home and found love with another black African woman. Keeping her life separate from her family, Yasmine returns home for Eid and the viewer is given an insight into the strained relationships she has with her father, mother and sister. What this short captures so perfectly is the pressure that lands on the shoulders of young LGBT+ people, particularly when they are from a religious family who isn’t always as accepting as the modern world. Yasmine is afraid of how her family will react, and given how stretched their relationships are already, she’s reluctant to be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. The events that unfold push her to her limits with surprising consequences.
‘A Wild Patience Has Taken Me Here’ from director Érica Sarmet is a tale of hedonism that couldn’t be more different than the short that has come before it. Middle-aged biker Vange (Zélia Duncan) happens upon a group of rebellious women and is invited to hang out with them. She soon observes their hedonistic approach to life, love and sex, and finds herself being drawn out of her comfort zone, and into a very intimate and intense experience. This short is about the commonalities between queer women, regardless of the differences they may have on the outside. It’s fairly abstract and more a feeling than a fully-fledged story, but it's engaging none-the-less.
To French Guiana next for ‘Bonnarien’ from director Adiel Goliot. Mauricette Bonnarien (Miremonde Fleuzin) is a dock worker during the day and an aspiring rapper on the side. This short is really an exploration of identity and belonging. Mauricette is attracted to another rapper in her circle but she’s also keen to change her family name due to its links to slavery. The subject matter is timely given the conversations about reparations that are in-and-out of the headlines, and it shows the reality and impact of that association on the modern generation that it affects. This wasn’t my favourite of the shorts but it’s on that’s loaded with plenty of food for thought.
The final short is Maïté Sonnet’s ‘Burial of Life as a Young Girl’. The French short focuses on Axelle (Luna Carpiaux), whose bad day gets worse when she has to attend her sister’s bachelorette party following her own painful break-up. Whisked away to a luxury spa, Axelle would prefer to be anywhere but there, until she locks her eyes on the beautiful Marguerite (Aloïse Sauvage). Sonnet captures that moment when heartbreak turns into hope, allowing us a short glance at Axelle’s journey. It’s a part of life many will be familiar with, and it’s brought to life well here.
‘Upon Her Lips: Girl Power’ continues to be an engaging series, bringing to the fore stories that aren’t often told in the mainstream. Understanding the experiences of other people is a vital part of life and this collection does just that. It might not be the strongest entry in the franchise to date, but it has plenty to say that will resonate strongly with its target audience.
Cast: Laure-Kenza Aazizou, Zélia Duncan, Miremonde Fleuzin, Luna Carpiaux Directors: Elhachmia Didi-Alaoui, Érica Sarmet, Adiel Goliot and Maïté Sonnet Certificate: Duration: 105 mins Released by: NQV Media Release date: 11th April 2025 Buy ‘Upon Her Lips: Girl Power’ now
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