In fact Charlie is pretty sure that isn't what he wants, much as he loves playing, because he still isn't sure who he is. He becomes withdrawn from family and friends as he struggles to understand the feelings within him. And is eventually forced to confront the truth, and reveal it to his parents and sister. Charlie knows that the person he sees in the mirror isn't a true reflection of who he is, and that inside he is a girl.
The film explores the impact of Charlie's realisation on his life, and of those around her. There are family fights, as some take longer than others to understand her decision. She loses friends and has to face the reaction of classmates and teachers at school. Plus there's one big worry for Charlie - will she ever get to play football again?
Covering several months in Charlie's life, the action is forced to skip through some of the consequences overly rapidly, and it does get a bit bogged down in the middle, but this is a strong effort to cover an important subject. Portraying the various stages of acceptance, and the often nasty reactions of those who can't handle difference, is done well.
Harry Gilby is excellent as Charlie, painfully coming to terms with herself and showing the tremendous bravery needed in coming out to the world. There's a strong supporting cast, with Patricia Potter the standout as Charlie's mum, struggling to achieve a balance between her socialisation and maternal instincts.
Still Charlie deserves to be seen by a big audience to help raise awareness of how intolerance and misunderstanding can blight lives, and that our social norms still have a lot of developing to do. Memorable.
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