Ginger & Rosa
Director: Sally Potter
Writer: Sally Potter
Cast: Elle Fanning, Alice Englert, Alessandro Nivola, Christina Hendricks, Timothy Spall, Oliver Platt, Annette Bening, Jodhi May
Plot:
1962. Ginger (Elle Fanning) and Rosa (Alice Englert) grew up together and are best friends. While Rosa’s father left a while ago and she fights a lot with her mother (Jodhi May), Ginger’s parents Natalie (Christina Hendricks) and Roland (Alessandro Nivola) are still together, if barely. But as nuclear warfare is threatening the entire world, so is Ginger’s world starting to crumble and bit by bit things start to slip away.
Oh boy. Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. Ginger & Rosa was brilliant. Beautiful and wonderfully made, it went straight for my heart and I bawled my eyes out.
There are many coming of age movies and I do like watching them. But recently it has become usual that these films and stories treat their protagonists with a whole lot of ironic distance. There is nothing wrong with that. In fact, teenagers can stand to be made fun of. But this film is completely serious about its heroines. And you’re right there with them. There is no distance and barely any laughter. Instead it’s like you’re going through puberty in all its intensity again.
This works because the script is really good. But more importantly, Elle Fanning is amazing. Pitch-perfect performance. She steals every scene from Alice Englert. Though the cast was generally really strong. Just Alessandro Nivola looked his part more than he acted it.
I know Sally Potter only from Orlando and that movie didn’t blow me away that much. But this one made me think that I really should look at eveything else she’s done.
What else can I say but urge you all to see it. Right now, if possible. Movies like this one are rare.
Summarising: See it and weep in the very best way.
kalafudra's Stuff 
I totally missed this one when it was in the cinemas. Will check it out on Blu Ray as soon as it hits. I love Elle Fanning (in a non-creepy, non-pedophilic way, of course); she blew me away in “Super 8” and was the best (and arguably even the only good) thing about “Somewhere”. So I’m willing to watch pretty much anything she’s in.
Oh yes, she’s really brilliant. She was definitely the best thing about Super 8 and I’d also say that she was Somewhere’s saving/only grace. She was also one of Twixt’s strongest parts. So, I absolutely understand where you’re coming from. She’s also on my love list. :)