| Summary: | Lila: Eight to Thirteen follows one strong, open, lively girl as she navigates the passage from preadolescence to adolescence. Preadolescense, the pivotal time when puberty begins, is a crucial period which has been often overlooked in coming-of-age films. This charming film celebrates Lila's resilience in the face of pressures from within herself and from the outside as she struggles to retain her identity. Filmed over a six-year period, Lila grew out of a unique relationship between filmmaker and subject. The style is intimate and personal, inviting us into Lila's inner world as she reveals thoughts she can t say even to her parents. The setting moves back and forth from the family's tiny apartment in New York City to a trailer in the bucolic, lovely Upper Delaware Valley. We follow Lila from a tree-climbing eight-year-old who likes to compete with boys, through the complexities of a changing body and a new set of "rules" for behavior. Milestone moments include a disastrous haircut and the first day of menstruation. Throughout, Lila s luminous persona permeates the film as she struggles with the loss of childhood and tries to redefine herself as a young adult.
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