HIDE AND SEEK

Neither documentary nor drama but the best of both, HIDE AND SEEK is partly an impeccable recreation of a mid-1960s American girlhood through the eyes of Lou, whose passage into maturity is hardly eased by the antiquated sex-education films she must watch in junior high – and the undercurrents and double-meanings Lou perceives all about her, as realization dawns that she prefers the company of girls to boys. It's so well-acted and natural you won't believe a camera was present, and scenes dovetail perfectly with archival clips and commentary by women, predominantly lesbians, who recall with warmth, humor and occasional heartache how, as children, they first came to terms with their sexual and gender identity. “I don't think I ever wanted to be an adult,” laughes one. “I don't think I'm reconciled with the idea even at this point.” Tastefully shot in radiant black-and-white, HIDE AND SEEK also proves that there was more to the Monkees than you ever dreamed. – Charles Cassady