Image via Haut et Court
The movie is about a young boy named Ludovic. Ludovic cross-dresses and generally acts like a girl; he talks of marrying the neighbor’s son and cannot understand why everyone is so surprised about it. At first, his parents think he’s just a phase and that he simply likes to joke around like that. When his family discovers the little girl blossoming in him they are forced to contend with their own discomfort and the lack of understanding from their new neighbors. They decide to send him to a psychiatrist in hopes to fix whatever is wrong with him. This movie is basically about Ludovic finding himself and establishing an identity; it addresses trans-gender and gender issues in general through the eyes of a child.
Ma vie en Rose does a really good job at showing what the parents are feeling and going through but it also shows the audience how difficult it is for the child as well. For example, Ludovic asks his sister and mother whether he is a girl or a boy. They tell him he’s a boy but that simply confuses him more because he feels like a girl and doesn’t understand why he feels the way he feels. It’s probably more of a difficult experience for the child because they don’t know what to do with all their feelings and can’t understand their parents’ views. This movie could be helpful to parents who might want to see things the way their child sees them and maybe help them understand and accept their child.
Parents must let their children express themselves the way they want because that’s the only way they’ll know who it is they really want to be. If parents don’t give them that opportunity then they may be unhappy or unsure with whom they are throughout their childhood.