Review of Ginger & Rosa (2012) by Jonathan D — 21 Dec 2013

Elle Fanning is fantastic as Ginger, a London teen preoccupied with nuclear annihilation during the Cuban missile crisis. She and her BFF Rosa are exploring their adolescence all the while hating their mothers for being pathetic enough to not be able to hold on to their men.

Ginger's father Roland is a pacifist who was jailed as a conscientious objector to the war and encourages his daughter to have autonomous thought and encourages her protesting in the streets. Roland also protests the confines of marriage and with twisted logic causes more hurt and harm.

Annette Benning continues her strong performances this time as a lefty feminist - the seemingly antithesis to Ginger's mother (played unconvincingly by Christina Hendricks). I agree with the philosophy but not so much with the rationalizing conduct of autonomous thinking.

It seems everyone is sorry at the end.