Tuesday 5 November 2013

Film Review: "Ginger & Rosa" (2012).


"Friendship pulled them together. Love tore them apart." This is Ginger & Rosa. This drama film written and directed by Sally Potter. London, 1962. Two teenage girls - Ginger and Rosa -- are inseparable; they play truant together, discuss religion, politics and hairstyles, and dream of lives bigger than their mothers' frustrated domesticity. But, as the Cold War meets the sexual revolution, and the threat of nuclear holocaust escalates, the lifelong friendship of the two girls is shattered - by the clash of desire and the determination to survive.

By early March 2012, Elle Fanning, Alice Englert, Alessandro Nivola, Christina Hendricks, Jodhi May, Timothy Spall, Oliver Platt, and Annette Bening were cast. At the same time, principal photography commenced, and wrapped in early April. Filming took place in Kent, England.

The film stars Fanning, Englert, Nivola, Hendricks, May, Spall, Platt, and Bening.The film is a heartbreaking drama thanks to the beautifully performances given by the cast, especially Fanning and Englert. The film would be unimaginable without Fanning and Englert in the lead roles. Their innocence makes every scene feel emotionally devastating, and their charismatic characters are touched with grace, gravity and a nimble humor. The actors are so committed to Potter's vision, they persuade you to go along with them.

Potter possesses a natural gracefulness in presentation that helps a little but, finally, not nearly enough. Ginger & Rosa is vague when she means it to be mysterious, coy when it ought to be witty, familiar when it should be bold. Credit where credit is due: Potter more or less successfully converted a crazy, overflowing tome into something simple and attractive. The film's wit and layered sense of history seem richer than ever. The film takes a droll approach to subject matter usually attended by the utmost solemnity. A daring, daunting, playful work of some considerable intellectual force that just misses greatness owing to a lack of emotional weight. At times breathtaking, at times frustrating, the film is an always intriguing fiction that examines life, literature, social mores and sexual difference over the period of the last four centuries in England. Continues Potter's exploration of the sexual politics involved in creative expression. Potter is great at conveying female anxiety and documenting women's complex lives. Has its moments of curious pronouncements about the world that have the ring of poetical truths. Potter's exploration of modern friendship fractured by social differences can be absorbing even if it feels at times like an intellectual exercise. This soapy drama has its share of problems, but Potter's quiet, drifting tone and a batch of excellent performances allow for certain potent moments of thought and emotion. The film itself is far from perfect, but a thoughtfully touching father-daughter relationship between Bardem and Fanning helps steer it in the right direction. Through it all, there's a potent portrayal of the bond between a parent and a child, and how it can never be taken for granted.

Simon says Ginger & Rosa receives:


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