Ginger & Rosa

Tender yet also intense coming-of-age drama
"Ginger & Rosa" (2012 release from the UK; 90 min.) brings the story of two young women, Ginger (played by Elle Fanning) and Rosa (played by Alice Englert), growing up as 17 year olds in 1962. As the movie opens, we see the mushroom cloud of the atomic bomb which was just unleashed over Hiroshima, and indeed the nuclear threat hangs over the movie from start to finish. Ginger and Rosy are "BFFs" as it would be called these days, even though they are very different. Ginger is the romantic poet who will quote Simone de Beauvoire ("who?" asks Rosa), and when Ginger wants to protest against the nuclear bomb, Rosa retorts "we should pray". In the end, they do both, going to church and then going to an anti-nuke demonstration. Meanwhile, Ginger's parents are having their own domestic problems, Roland being the free-spirited professor who want to "break the rules, all the rules". Rosa certainly notices the troubles too as she starts to fancy Roland. At that point we are about half-way into...

Growing Up Is Complicated
Elle Fanning shows strong acting ability as Ginger, a pensive British teen with a poet's heart and media-shaped dread of impending doom during the Cuban Missle Crisis. Her precocious best friend Rosa (Alice Englert) seems more interested in sexual exploration, which is mildly amusing/slightly boring to Ginger--until Rosa fixes her sights onto Ginger's dad Roland (Alessandro Nivola); yet, handsome Roland has been separated from lovely Natalie (Christina Hendricks) just long enough to enjoy Rosa's comforting advances. How the extended family--and ultimately Ginger--deal with this perplexing predicament becomes the focus of this character-defining think piece.

Excellent Story
I agree with the previous reviews on the acting, casting, writing, etc., but one should also be aware of the background music for this movie. Jazz, blues, very 1960's music. Beautiful. Elle Fanning is excellent at capturing moods and emotions. I believe there is work inside this young lady that has yet to surface. It will take a cunning director to reach in and get it. I loved Christina Hendricks as the mother. Well done, my lady. One thing about this movie is you must pay attention to get anything out of it, there are no modern day special effects. It's like reading a good book, you have to get involved. Love this movie.

Click to Editorial Reviews