NewFest: Alice Junior
Tuesday, October 20, 2020 at 9:49AM 
Attitude can make a world of difference in a difficult situation. Sage advice dictates that a person can only change themselves, not others. Positivity may not prevent pain or misery, but when it’s the only option, it’s better than nothing. A strong front doesn’t mean that assailants will be deterred, and it may even encourage offenders to only continue what they are doing. But bravery and acceptance can, in certain circumstances, help lead to a better future in which others won’t need to shield themselves in the same way thanks to the creation of a new culture.
Alice Junior (Anne Celestino Mota) is a social media star with many followers who ask her admiring questions about the experience of being trans. When her father (Emmanuel Rosset) gets a new job, she is forced to move to a conservative town and attend a Catholic school where the close-minded principal insists that she wear a male uniform...
Intent on being fabulous and authentically herself, Alice endures cruelty from other students and the indignity of being addressed by her dead name by teachers and not having a bathroom to use at school. With the help of plucky journalist Viviane (Thaís Schier), free spirit Taísa (Surya Amitrano), and the mostly clueless Bruno (Matheus Moura), Alice begins to see hope that things might eventually change.
This is a film bursting with color, applying the filters and effects that Alice uses for her videos to the screen. It has a wonderful effect on the energy of this story, which is carried completely by Alice. It’s wonderful to see that her father is unconditionally supportive of her, well aware of the challenges she may face but committed to making life as easy as he can for her. Unlike another student (Gustavo Piaskoski) that Alice immediately pegs as gay, Alice doesn’t want to hide any part of herself, and that gets her noticed, which in turn makes her the target of vicious bullies.
This is the feature film debut for Mota, who did in fact get her start as a YouTube star. This is an auspicious and unforgettable breakthrough that shows Mota is capable of tackling a role that demands enthusiasm in the face of trauma. The film is grounded in the way that she carries herself, and there’s something so natural about the way that she interacts with the camera, giving small moments the appropriate amount of minimal emphasis and never faltering despite the hurdles she faces. This is a buoyant and entertaining film, one that finds the bright side of being different and chooses to tackle it head-on.
Alice Junior is available to screen at NewFest 2020 through Tuesday, October 27th
Reader Comments (4)
What a coincidence - I just saw this last night at the (virtual) Milwaukee Film Festival and loved it, one of my favorites of the year. Alice and her father are so endearing, and the director has such a great voice, somewhat reminiscent of a younger Almodóvar. It was a lovely surprise and deserves to be a huge hit.
Nice review, but I think it's odd that you didn't mention the nationality of the movie.
It is available on Netflix (in Brazil, at least) and it is surprisingly good for a teenage drama.
I was less enthusiastic about the film even though I think Anna Celestino is an absolutely gem and her Alice is immediately iconic. I just found the rest of the movie a little too scattered and the filters were good, but ended up being distracting by the end. The sudden shift after the swimming pool scene also felt unearned which colored my reaction for the "fun" ending. I do think it's still worth a watch for Anna's performance alone though.