Queen of Niendorf

The classic boys-coming-of-age drama (think Stand By Me) gets a thoughtful, feminist update in the luminously filmed Queen of Niendorf. Ten-year-old Lea is bored of the vapid aspirations of most tween girls. So she alternates between lazily cycling through her sleepy village and the thrumming excitement of two new discoveries: a makeshift raft and treehouse boys’ club. Skeptical because she’s a girl, the club members make her prove her mettle. Lea realizes that true bravery is not just what you do, but sometimes what you don’t do—and isn’t afraid to prove it.


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