Pojkarna (Girls Lost)

Available Summary:

"Nectar from a magic flower allows three girls to live as boys for a while." -IMDb.

Jack's Summary:

Three friends, one of them a closeted trans boy named Kim, discover a magical plant that allows them to switch into different bodies. The two girls seem attracted to the magic because it allows them freedom from misogyny and bullying. Kim (the third friend) expresses a desire to change his body from the beginning of the film, and this desire is affirmed when he gains a penis and a flat chest.

In a body that is socially received as male, Kim explores a gay romance between himself and a cis boy. At one point, Kim is asked, "are you in love with him, or do you just want to be like him?" That is a struggle that many gay trans men face, and it was interesting to see it explored in this fantasy setting.

Kim is unable to use the plant in moderation, and conflict quickly arises between the three friends as the girls become frustrated with Kim's need to be male. Momo, one of the girls, is in love with Kim (the original version of him) and is desperate for Kim to return her affections, with some fantastical gender-bending occurring as she uses the plant to be a boy which Kim is attracted to.

WARNING: Heavy themes.

If you do want to watch this movie, you need to prepare for physical violence, misogyny, lesbophobia, gay bashing, attempted rape, victim-blaming, arson, and gender dysphoria in response to menstruation. The f-slur is used by a character struggling with internalised homophobia, and the three protagonists are called the c-word by bullies. I thought this would be a sweet, fantastical coming-of-age movie with trans plotlines, so I was pretty surprised when such heavy themes were introduced.

Ultimately, it's implied that Kim is going to commit suicide using a gun, following a previous discussion of firearm suicide.