Teenage rebellion threatens centuries of tradition when young Cleo questions her place in a long line of powerful circus performers in Jody Wilson’s feature directing debut, The Bearded Girl, celebrating its world premiere at Fantasia 2025.
In an idyllic rural countryside there is a circus watched over by the commanding Lady Andre (Jessica Paré). She is the latest in the line of bearded ladies to have led nature’s oddities as they entertain the masses. When one of her young daughters, Cleopatra (Cleo for short), sprouts her first baby chin hair around age 10, Lady Andre is ecstatic; she can now comfortably pass down her rights and responsibilities as leader when the time comes.
At first Cleo (Arwen O’Driscoll) is also excited about following in her mother’s footsteps, but when the time draws near for her to graduate from bearded girl to bearded lady – all in a very formal, arcane ceremonial fashion – she begins to have doubts about whether she wants to be trapped in her mother’s life. Complicating matters further are Cleo’s younger sister, the sassy and willful Josephine (Skylar Radzion), who repeatedly flaunts her hairless visage while flirting with everything that moves, as well as a brief glimpse of a cute boy on a motorcycle who becomes Cleo’s obsession and the impetus behind her growing desire to abandon the family tradition.
Following a raucous fight with her mother, Cleo leaves the circus grounds, destined for a future of her own making. Seeing this as the worst kind of betrayal, Lady Andre shoos her away and admonishes her never to return, sending her daughter and heir out into the big bad world to fend for herself. Cleo finds her man, attempts to live a normal life, but finds it is far more complicated than she’d hoped. She eventually while discovers that she can run away from her circumstances, she cannot run away from herself.
Not quite fantasy and also not quite reality, The Bearded Girl exists somewhere between the two worlds as a coming of age-slash-hero’s journey tale about a girl finding her place in the world. Arwen O’Driscoll’s titular character populates almost every frame of the film, placing a tremendous amount of the onus upon her to carry this narrative. She acquits herself well, evolving from snotty teenager to young adult over the course of the film in a realistic, engaging way.
The Bearded Girl is at its best when it focuses on Cleo and her complex relationship with her mother. Thankfully, that is most of the film. Where the film gets a bit shaky are a couple of subplots that feel obligatory to push the narrative forward, but they don’t really support the main narrative well. A mustache-twirling villain attempting to buy up the circus’s property feels out of place tonally, and Josephine’s frequent petty interjections belie a jealousy of Cleo’s connection to their mother that isn’t ever explored fully enough to justify her behavior. However, the overall tone of the film and the overwhelming attention paid to the main conflicts and character arcs are good enough to quell any misgivings about the slight missteps.
A charming story about the ways in which we are both beholden to and repulsed by the traditions and family obligations laid at our feet, The Bearded Girl is sure to speak to young girls in a way that will truly matter. This is a film for those who need to feel seen, who feel like no one understands. It is a reminder that everyone goes through similar challenges, just wrapped up in different packages. With a little luck, this could be some teenage girl’s favorite film, and they could do a lot worse.