Love and acceptance shouldn’t be such a topical and controversial issue in 2026. This perspective comes from someone born and raised in an environment where acceptance is prioritised, and where being happy is more important than abiding by traditional family values. However, this is still not the case in some countries, where traditional values are what keep families united. Girlfriends, the latest film by Tracy Choi, explores the complexities and struggles of queer identity in modern society across Macau, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, and how that identity can, at times, parallel artistic freedom.
It is 2024, and Lok (Fish Liew) is a 34-year-old filmmaker struggling to get her next project off the ground after her successful debut feature garnered praise and awards. Drifting in Hong Kong with her partner, Bei Bei (Jennifer Yu), as they struggle to find their place and pressure from Bei Bei’s family to find a man, settle down, and have children. Lok reflects on different moments from her past—when she was 22 (Elizabeth Tang) and studying in Taiwan, and when she was 17 (Natalie Hsu) growing up in Macau.
Throughout the film, we see how, in my opinion, artistic freedom can reflect queer identity. Over the course of her life, Lok struggles to find this artistic freedom—whether it be a protest occurring due to her graduation project, not agreeing with the initial core message of that project, gradually coming to the realisation that her stance in a debate is inaccurate, or struggling to get her next feature off the ground. Across Lok’s life, she consistently struggles to fully express her views through her art.
This strangely parallels her queer identity. As a queer woman, she struggles to express herself and live her life in the way she truly wants. From being shunned for dyeing her hair to dealing with her partner’s struggle under family pressure and the lack of acceptance of their relationship, these challenges weigh heavily on her. Societal constraints force many in the LGBT+ community to struggle for freedom, whether it is being unable to legally marry their partner or to be accepted by families who find it difficult to move away from traditional values and instead expect their children to marry and have kids of their own.
The way these ideas intertwine is one of the film’s strongest aspects. Seeing Lok come to terms with her identity and learning how to achieve emotional freedom despite societal constraints, conveys a powerful message, especially at a time when it feels as though LGBT+ people are increasingly targeted as a supposed cause of “societal decline.” However, while these themes are not inherently simplistic, they have been explored in other films and media, such as Moonlight, for example.
Just because Girlfriends does not reinvent the wheel does not automatically make it a negative. However, it becomes one when, aside from these themes, I struggled to connect with the film on any deeper emotional level. The closest scene I found to be powerful was a hate-sex scene, where hatred, love, and passion combine into a messy yet somewhat beautiful moment that I feel is rarely explored in media. Love is deeply complex and not the binary issue we sometimes reduce it to; we can be in love yet still feel deeply alone or even angry.
The actors who portray Lok across the years, Fish Liew, Elizabeth Tang, and Natalie Hsu, all do an incredible job of conveying the emotional complexity the film aims to explore. A simple stare or smile communicates far more about the character’s emotions than any line of dialogue could. Despite their physical differences, you truly believe they are the same person at three different stages of life. The rest of the cast are also strong, bringing each chapter of the protagonist’s story to life.
The film also adopts a handheld approach to its cinematography, giving it a semi-documentary style. Rather than feeling like omnipresent observers, we instead feel like onlookers, present for every moment of intimacy and heartbreak. This allows us to be more fully enveloped in the world and its characters in a way that a more static, locked-off camera style might lack. In terms of intimacy, while I cannot speak to how the actors personally felt on set, the inclusion of an intimacy coordinator was clearly important and encouraging to see highlighted in the opening credits.
Girlfriends is a film that I found at times, to be a truly meaningful and provocative statement on the parallels between artistic and emotional freedom in a society where traditional values can be controlling. However, beyond that, I was often left wanting more. While there are solid performances throughout, I felt the film had the potential to be powerful but ultimately left me feeling lukewarm.
★★★
In UK cinemas from June 19th / Fish Liew, Jennifer Yu, Elizabeth Tang, Han Ning, Natalie Hsu / Dir: Tracy Choi / Central City Media / 15
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