27/02/2023 - BERLINALE 2023: Mira Fornay's film, the winner of the Grand Prix of the Generation Kplus International Jury, is a charming tale about a determined young girl looking for her escaped pet she-bird

It’s a lovely summer’s day, and everything seems relaxed and carefree – but not for little Romy (the charming Rozmarína Willems), whose favourite budgie, Mimi, has broken free and has flown into the forest. Romy’s mother gets her a new bird, but it’s not the same, as everyone who has ever had a pet knows only too well. But a new feathery friend may just prove useful – as Romy’s friend Cypko (Cyprián Šulej) points out – because budgies are social creatures and call to each other with their chirping, so there might be a way to get Mimi back.

Romy, unprepared to say, “Bye bye birdie”, embarks on a journey through the nearby woods. She’s armed with her new budgie in its cage as a lure for Mimi, sporting pink Crocs, a Metallica blouse and a huge dose of determination. And as we know very well from fairy tales, when children go into the woods, adventures await them. She – Hero [+see also:
trailer
film profile], which won the Grand Prix of the Generation Kplus International Jury at the recently concluded Berlinale (see the news), is no different in this respect. However, the she-director of the film, Mira Fornay, and the she-cinematographer, Simona Weisslechner (their gender is specified in the credits, so the she-writer needs to note it, too), focus more on the light that streams through the trees, rather than the shadows they cast.

The tone of the feature is sweet, gentle and pleasant, even when Romy meets slightly weird or strict adults – or bad dogs – along the way. Each of these encounters serves as a lesson to Romy about what is really important to her, yet She – Hero never enters didactic territory. It’s colourful, cute and free-spirited, just like the she-protagonist. The story feels classical and modern at the same time. Classical because there are no gimmicks in the narrative, and the structure is simple, elegant and effective. And modern because the character of Romy is much more proactive than Little Red Riding Hood or any kind of Sleeping Beauty you can imagine. She doesn’t just react to what is happening to her; by setting out on this journey, she is the driving force of her own story. She is simply and literally a she-hero, true to the film’s title. The movie is dedicated to “children, forests and rivers”, and just to pile on even more cuteness, the filmmakers adhered to green filming rules during production.

She – Hero is a Slovakian film produced by Mirafox and RTVS. The international rights are up for grabs.