There was a time when we regarded circuses with awe. – when we’d file into circus grounds to see trapeze acts and contortionists, and wonders from far-off lands. But those days are largely in the past now. The Bearded Girl is a coming-of-age story set among the remnants of those days. Centred on a family of sword swallowing bearded women –a combination of two classic circus sideshow performers– it charts a familiar course through the trials of growing up and of leaving the nest for greener pastures only to find that green grass isn’t necessarily all it’s cracked up to be.
Cleo (Anwen O’Driscoll) is about to come of age as the leader of her clan, a lineage of bearded woman some 88 generations long. She’s fierce and independent, which of course puts her at odds with her mother, Lady Andre (Jessica Paré), who is attempting to train her in both the ways of showmanship for their act and to take over the mantle of leadership for the entire circus community in which they live
Of course, being groomed for leadership is a lot of pressure, and Cleo feels trapped by the very traditions that Lady Andre celebrates and wants her to safeguard. Rather than stick around and live with regret, Cleo decides she needs to get out and live a little, to find her place in the world and a sense of who she is beyond being the titular bearded girl.
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A Familiar Narrative Holds “The Bearded Girl” Back | ForReel
