Topic > Girlhood and scenes of pain and ecstasy and the depiction of the path to self-discovery

In Girlhood (2013), Marieme (Karidja Touré) joins a gang and embarks on a journey of self-discovery. During this journey, she finds herself becoming violent. After Marieme and the other girls dance and have fun, Marieme notices her sister Bebe (Simina Soumare) with a group of girls stealing a woman's bag. Marieme confronts her sister, and their argument escalates to Marieme slapping Bebe, to which she responds, "did you hit me? You're just like him." This scene is traumatic for both Marieme and Bebe. For Bebe it is traumatic physically because she was hit, but also emotionally because she loses trust in her sister. For Marieme it is emotionally traumatic as she is forced to consider who she is becoming and how this is affecting her sister. This moment not only highlights the character development Marieme has had thus far, but also marks the beginning of another phase of character development for her. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The way the camera is used here is very interesting, particularly when it chooses to cut and how that relates to the way it changes the point of view between sisters. The sequence begins with a medium shot of Marieme, who notices her sister. The reverse is a long shot, indicating Marieme's point of view. The camera then remains fixed on Marieme, following her to her sister in what becomes a medium double shot. Since it's the same shot, it still looks like Marieme's point of view. The camera takes a reverse shot, but maintains Marieme's point of view, identifying her in her serve, but filming Bebe from over her shoulders. Once Marieme hits Bebe, the camera pans to Marieme, showing her reaction to Bebe saying "did you hit me?". This keeps the point of view on Marieme, showing us how she has to deal with what she just did. When the camera returns to Bebe, she is no longer behind Marieme. This gives Bebe more power in the scene and momentarily transfers the point of view to her as we see how she reacts to being hit. Marieme pulls Bebe into a tight one-on-one shot, and from then on we only see them in the frame together, showing how Marieme tries to reconcile despite Bebe continually rejecting her. In “Scenes of Pain and Rapture,” Emma Wilson talks about how director Céline Sciamma is “particularly attentive to sensory details, to how things feel, to how you touch them.” (page 3). This is very present in this scene as we see very close shots showing the physicality between the sisters, both with the slapping, and with Marieme caressing Bebe's face and Bebe pushing her away. This creates a very visceral tension that is extremely palpable for the viewer and helps them feel the pain and confusion that Marieme is experiencing..