Miss França

Since his teens Alex has wanted only one thing - to become Miss France. The problem is - he is boy.

At the age of 24 Alex is trying to attempt just that - to participate in a competition that will propel him to stardom. Now he needs to become a woman if not in the flesh, then in look and spirit. His helpers are his quirky family of neighbours - all outsiders in their own right, plus a childhood friend, a famous boxer, who will help him build his fighting spirit. Will Alex be able to achieve the impossible and what price will he have to pay?

Director Ruben Alves (The Gilded Cage) loves to populate his films with quirky memorable characters and MISS is no exception. The boarding house where a middle aged cross dresser, two drug dealing wannabes, Indian sweatshop workers who don't speak French and where all are ruled by an always grumpy landlady, is a great setting for a comedy about serious issues. While providing plenty of laugh out loud moments and delivering some hard to swallow twists, the film demands to be taken seriously when the story concerns the dilemmas of the protagonists.

Under someone else's clumsy hand MISS could have turned into a preachy and boring politically correct drama. Ruben Alves manages to provide the exact balance of funny and sad, with plenty of irony and humour, creating a lighthearted atmosphere that is, above all, genuinely entertaining.

MISS would never have worked without its star Alexander Wetter, who makes this outrageous scenario a believable one. He is the heart and the soul of the film. It is a surprisingly deep and poignant performance.

MISS is a modern Cinderella story where a prince and a princess come in the same package. It's about accepting who you are, striving for greatness against all odds.