Director Engeli Broberg
When Swedish filmmaker Engeli Broberg met an eight-year-old named Gabi nearly seven years ago, she thought she might make an interesting short film subject. But quickly the director decided, “I wanted to stay with her for longer.” Now Gabi is the fascinating young protagonist of Broberg’s first feature-length doc Gabi, Between Ages 8 and 13, which world-premieres this week in CPH:DOX Dox:Award competition.
Budding filmmaker Broberg was introduced to Gabi and her mother by a friend who had met the young girl on a commercial shoot. “From that first meeting, we talked about everything. I saw myself in Gabi, she had lots of feelings I had at that age about what is a boy or a girl, and not fitting into those boxes.”
The director continues, “When I was little, I was something of a tomboy but I remember feeling a bit different from all of my friends, and then when I got older I understood that I was a lesbian.” She continues, “I wasn’t looking to make a film about gender, it was more that I found this young person that was so interesting – and the film evolved.”
Following Gabi for the pivotal five years of the film’s title helped Broberg to give a more well-rounded portrait of her subject. “When you follow someone for a longer time you give them a space to change and evolve and you get to be in this circle, not just a linear story. I was very happy to continue to follow her and make it a longer format film that feels more true to her.”
Gender issues, especially as regards young people, can be a controversial subject, but Broberg wanted her film to be more thoughtful. “In the beginning I knew I didn’t want it to be a sensational film. I wanted it to be about small moments in a young person’s life…for me it was important to make a film that was an exploration and a journey and that I let Gabi speak for herself. Also I didn’t want to label her in any way. It can be open for her to change after the film is done. I didn’t want to end with a conclusion ‘this is what Gabi is.’”
Gabi uses she/her pronouns, but as Broberg says “Gabi is the only one who should label herself.”
The film is not just about Gabi’s thoughts on gender, of course, it shows a young person growing up, finding her place in her own expanding family, moving from Stockholm to a small town, exploring her love of football, navigating a long-distance friendship and more. Broberg’s style is observational rather than pushing for interviews. “It was important to me to have time to let Gabi just be Gabi,” Broberg adds.
Broberg felt a “huge responsibility” in documenting a young person at this age, and it of course helped that Gabi had a family supportive of her as well as understanding what the film could achieve. “They were very open and really let us be there as much as we wanted,” Broberg says of Gabi’s mother and stepfather. “They were very welcoming, we were very lucky. Also, we were very transparent with the family in showing them the footage and talking about the film.”
The filmmaker adds, “From the start, they said they wished this film already existed so that they could have seen it. What I had in mind was something that they really felt was needed for families with children who felt like Gabi.”
The visuals of the film reflect its subject, Broberg points out. “The short depth of field appears more intimate. And we lower the camera so it’s more in here eyeline, not like having a ‘grown-up’ looking down on her.”
Broberg decided to stop filming Gabi at age 13 (she is now 15) because “that’s the most formative years in a young person’s life. It was important that I stayed in the perspective of a kid, if you’re a teenager that’s a whole new part of life.”
Anna J Ljungmark and Jakob Eklund produced the film for House of Real, with backing from the Swedish Film Institute, Sundance Film Institute, Filmbasen and Film i Dalarne. The film has its world premiere in Dox:Award competition.
Even ahead of the film’s world premiere at CPH:DOX, Broberg has been asked several times if she will make a sequel as Gabi continues to grow up. “Both Gabi and I would love to do that; we really enjoyed making this film, but I’m also questioning is there a need of that sequel — there was a need for this film portraying these younger years. Usually with themes around gender, we only see stories of older youth or teenagers.”
Broberg felt her own mind open up, she says, as she chronicled Gabi over the years. “In the beginning I thought I knew exactly what kind of film I was making. Then the more I got to know Gabi, I understood this is more complex than just ‘Gabi wants to be a boy.’ I learned things can be more nuanced and that this can change over time.”
Gabi’s story fits into the larger themes that Broberg finds herself exploring often in her work — “loneliness, exclusion or identity”. The filmmaker will next work on a fiction short as well as a documentary series that revolves around gender stereotypes.
Before that, she is excited to share Gabi’s journey with the world. “I’m excited to see what people will think about this film. I hope it will help people like Gabi and make them feel less alone in the way they see the world.”
