Born on the same hospital on the same day in 1945, Ginger and Rosa (Fanning and Englert) have grown up as inseparable friends. Now 16, they are haunted by the Cold War but disagree about the threat of nuclear obliteration. Rosa lives with her single mum (May) and thinks prayer is the only response. Ginger, whose liberal-minded parents (Hendricks and Nivola) have decided to separate again, joins the anti-nuke activists. And for Ginger, the end of the world seems especially near when she starts to suspect that her dad is having an affair with Rosa.

Potter artfully establishes the girls' free-spirited bond, letting us experience their intimate camaraderie in the way they dress alike and speak in unison. It's them against the world, so when shadows start to appear between them there's a strong sense of something important being lost. This leads to a climactic confrontation that's frightening and moving, but also somewhat overwrought. Thankfully Fanning and Englert remain loose and transparent all the way through, while the high-powered supporting cast nicely underplay their somewhat schematic roles.

The film is beautifully assembled, with simple but effective period touches, including constant newscasts about the Cuban Missile Crisis in the background. Robbie Ryan cinematography adds a darkly beautiful edge to every scene, letting us feel the textures of the air around the characters. And a bluesy-jazzy song score adds to the moodiness. All of this creates a dense atmosphere that envelops the characters in their own growing crisis of suspicion and potential danger.

As a coming-of-age movie centred on an English teen with a lot on her mind, this is even darker than the autobiographical events recounted in An Education. It presents a similarly shaped odyssey for Ginger, although here the script leaps between scenes in a way that feels increasingly choppy and disconnected, reflecting Ginger's perceptions. Yes, it's clever how Potter focusses on the emotions rather than the reality, but the heightened reactions and spurious observations make the film drag like a pouty teen.

themes, language

10.Sep.12