Set in 18th century France, Girl for a Day tells the true story of Anne Grandjean, an intersex person compelled to change social identity after expressing attraction to women. Living first as Anne and later as Jean-Baptiste, Anne falls in love and marries, only to find that the past—and the scrutiny of legal and religious authorities—cannot be easily escaped.
Although set more than two centuries ago, it speaks directly to contemporary conversations around identity, bodily autonomy and the relationship between individual experience and social norms. Monod cleverly transformed historical records that include Michel Foucault’s later case notes on Grandjean, into a moving drama about how institutions attempt to define bodies, identities and desires, to pose enduring questions about autonomy, dignity and belonging.
‘In a sense, Un jour fille is a very current film, very contemporary in its intentions, in a period where the question of social, cultural or sexual identities has never been so present at the heart of debates.’— Bulles de Culture (translated from French)
Arc Cinema at NFSA is situated in the heart of Canberra on McCoy Circuit, Acton, between the shores of Lake Burley Griffin and the grounds of the Australian National University. Just a 10-minute walk from the city and state bus interchanges. 1 McCoy Circuit, Acton, ACT.
