[5] The film opened to positive reviews, with critics praising the directing and the performers, particularly Zoé Héran as the lead.

Lisa then introduces Mickaël/Laure to the rest of the neighborhood children, stating that Mickaël is the new kid in the apartment complex.

One day while playing, Lisa makes up Mickaël's face and comments: "You look good as a girl."

Mickaël goes home hiding their face under a hoodie, but Laure's mother says she likes it, encouraging them to be more feminine.

When Lisa comes by the apartment to look for Mickaël, she runs into Laure's precocious six-year-old sister Jeanne instead.

After a time there, Laure takes off the blue dress, leaving on a tank top and boy-style shorts.

"[15] Céline Sciamma, the writer and director, said "I made it with several layers, so that a transexual person can say 'that was my childhood' and so that a heterosexual woman can also say it."

"[16] Zoé Héran knew from the script that she would have to appear naked in one brief shot, as her character gets out of the bathtub; her parents were present at the time of filming.

Earning 96% on Rotten Tomatoes with a consensus saying, "In tune with the emotion and tribulations of childhood, Tomboy is a charming movie that treats its main subject with warmth and heart.

"[18] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave three and a half out of four, commenting that Tomboy is "tender and affectionate".