Berlinale Review: “Lesbian Space Princess”

Lesbian Space Princess (Emma Hough Hobbs/Leela Varghese, 2025) 3 out of 5 stars

Directors Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese make their feature debut with Lesbian Space Princess, an animated romp through coming-of-age tropes as filtered through the dynamic prism of queer culture. Following the titular character, named Saira, in all her adventures and misadventures, the movie offers something of a mixed bag, with positive feminist and lesbian affirmation paired with sometimes obvious humor. The resulting affair is not without its charm, however, and ultimately wins us over, despite the cringe jokes.

As our story begins, young Saira (voiced by Shabana Azeez) narrates the comic strip she has created celebrating her love affair with girlfriend Kiki (Bernie Van Tiel). Unfortunately, though she is excited to finally be able to attend Lesbian Prom—at the age of 23—as part of a couple for the first time, Kiki promptly breaks up with her. They’re just too different: Saira a mopey, insecure sort (though very good with her fingers, if you know what I mean), and Kiki an adventurer (“Kiki the Destroyer” in the comic). And so Saira’s hopes and dreams are dashed before they even come close to realization.

All this unhappiness Saira feels comes despite the fact that she lives on the planet of Clitopolis in the heart of Gay Space. Perhaps it’s because her moms—the Queens—are usually too busy having orgies to pay much attention to her, or maybe she is just naturally a bit of a downer. In any case, lonely she feels and lonely she is.

Until fate steps in, courtesy of the Straight White Maliens, who kidnap Kiki as she gets it on with a group of new lovers, holding her for ransom until they can get their hands on a labrys, that double-headed axeassociated with classic Amazons and, today, lesbians. They need a labrys to power their “chick magnet,” since they can’t attract any on their own. Knowing that the women of Clitopolis are supposed to all be able to conjure one, they hope that Saira will come rescue Kiki and then give hers up to them.

Except that Saira has no labrys … yet. But have no fear, Kiki, for does this stop Saira from setting out? No! And along the way she gathers more than just confidence, but also new friends, including a goth troubadour, Willow (Gemma Chua-Tran), who takes a shine to her. Beyond the silliness, there’s a rollicking good time to be had.

The animation is bright and cheerful (even when Saira is at her most depressed), and the score, which includes songs, is lively. I just wish the laughs weren’t quite so forced. What works, though, is the way Hobbs and Varghese update well-worn formulas with an LGBTQ+ twist. Given the horrors afoot in my homeland—the good ole US of A—that’s a net plus.

Christopher Llewellyn Reed

Christopher Llewellyn Reed is a film critic, filmmaker, and educator, as well as Film Festival Today's Editor. A member of both the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) and the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), and a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, Chris is, in addition, lead film critic at Hammer to Nail and the author of Film Editing: Theory and Practice.