'The Bearded Girl' Review: A Well Acted Coming-of-Age Story - Fantasia 2025
- Becca Johnson
- Jul 18
- 4 min read
By Becca Johnson - July 18, 2025
A directorial feature debut from Jody Wilson, The Bearded Girl is a drama/fantasy, starring Anwen O’Driscoll in the titular role. A sideshow can be a magical place, and for those who live and work there, it can be a safe haven. For Cleo (O’Driscoll), her role in the family-run exhibit is clear: as the 88th generation of proud, bearded women, she follows their legacy of sword-swallowing, whilst her overbearing mother Lady Andre (Jessica Pare) wants her to be obedient and stick with tradition. But, outside the show tents is a big world, and when Cleo’s fresh ideas for their sword show aren’t embraced, and she clashes with her mother, she gets the itch to leave her talented fringe family to find love, and perhaps a new normal, that doesn’t include facial hair.
Expertly acted and full of well-developed character study, The Bearded Girl is a digestible coming-of-age story that despite feeling rushed in places, impresses nonetheless.
The Bearded Girl is first and foremost a coming-of-age story, and an interesting one at that. It’s an excellent character study about a young girl that wants her own life, despite being pushed a certain way by her family since she was born. She’s expected to keep the traditions going by performing in her sideshow alongside her mother, but Cleo knows there’s more for her out there. Her sister wasn’t born with the same facial hair as Cleo, and could do anything she wants, so why is she so stuck on staying with the sideshow? Desperate to be treated the same as any other, Cleo wants to find love and live a life she chooses, but is it possible to have both, and what happens when those in her new life discover her secret?
The Bearded Girl gives us a deep dive into all of the above, with fantastic character development that really helps us get to know Cleo. It’s a coming-of-age tale with a twist, following someone who is incredibly different visually to the type of character we’d usually see receive this arc. It’s about family, love, acceptance and honesty, and it does a good job with these themes.
There are occasional times in which the writing wanes, preventing this from being a home run. As she escapes the sideshow and spends each morning shaving off her beard before heading out into the world, it becomes more of a generic coming of age tale. Of course, it’s always fun to see characters navigating first loves, finding their own path and discovering who they really are, but once the beard is shaved off and Cleo is out there in the world, it loses its unique vibe. Furthermore, for a movie centered on a group of ‘freaks’, they really do lack screen time, and less time that we deserve is spent at the sideshow alongside our performers. Cleo’s mum Lady Andre appears to be an interesting character with a troubled past, but the lack of development means we don’t learn much about her. The same can be said for Cleo’s grandmother, and the rest of the residents within the tents.
So much attention is paid to developing Cleo, which ultimately pays off, but it leaves other characters behind. Some are introduced and expected to be large parts of the story but are never seen again, particularly Harold, the farmer that Cleo winds up living with in the ‘real world’. A promise of a father/daughter relationship is given, but he’s never to be seen again. It also wraps up the conflict far too quickly within the third act, minimizing the stakes and forcing characters into instant decisions that don’t match the personalities they’ve been given. The coming-of-age element is competent, but everything surrounding it feels flat at times.
The performances across the board are absolutely fantastic, particularly from Anwen O’Driscoll (You Can Live Forever) as Cleo. A very layered performance is expected from her and she delivers, bringing Cleo’s arc to life believably. Emotional when she needs to be and headstrong when the script demands her to live her own life, O’Driscoll is fantastic. Another standout within the cast is Jessica Pare (Brooklyn) as Cleo’s mother, Lady Andre. As mentioned above, she doesn’t get the development we’d hope for, but every time she’s on screen she steals it. At first, she may seem strict and unwilling to listen to Cleo, but as the run-time progresses, we learn there’s more than meets the eye and she has some secrets of her own. Pare showcases this effortlessly, especially the emotion that comes with losing her daughter. Starring alongside Cleo as her love interest Blaze is Keenan Tracey (Polaroid), and despite his proclivity for drinking and fighting, he’s quite likable, and the pair have good chemistry. Toby Hargrave (Little Fish) stars as Harold, and it’s a shame that he’s reduced to just two short scenes, as with this minimal screen-time, he almost becomes one of the best parts of the movie.
The Bearded Girl is a competent coming-of-age story, putting filmmaker Jody Wilson on the map as one to pay attention to. The actors bring the script to life and add much humanity to these unique characters, and the script involves every beat you’d expect it to, from romance to family drama. Some finer tuning within the story could’ve ensured greater success, as some characters and themes go underdeveloped, but what we do receive is more than serviceable.
The Bearded Girl premiered at Fantasia Film Festival 2025
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