Review of Ginger & Rosa (2012) by Blake P — 13 Oct 2013

I really wanted to like this movie but it wasn't until the climax did I finally show any shred of interest (I paused the movie at 40 minutes and went outside to tend to my tomatoes - I have a red one!- then proceeded to google harvesting, monsanto, indeterminate etc.

Our main characters (aside from Rosa) are all American's playing Brits. Something which tends to be a pet peeve of mine (we American's can never get the accent right) but to my surprise Hendricks and Nivola sound believable however, Fanning has inherited her sisters raw talent, not only did I believe she was British but her acting is phenomenal. Just like Alia Shawkat, I'm waiting for her to find that role that really puts her on the map. Her acting is so amazing but the recent film's I've seen with her in don't deserve her talent.

The problem with this movie is the story. It's a mundane coming of age tale that probably reads better than it translated to film. This is a movie where you must infer until the end and I hate to say this, its probably some sort of film buff sin; but I hate Coppola style movies where the viewer must infer the entire journey.

Some elements weren't explained thoroughly in my opinion. Who the hell were Annette Benning, Oliver Platt and Timothy Spall supposed to be? They said "family friends" and "godfathers" but, how, when, where, why? I also didn't fully understand if Roland was Ginger's birth father or stepfather until far into the film. That's never clarified properly.

What I loved was the cinematography. This movie has great lighting and those super close up angles that are so intricate and personal.

Visually Ginger & Rosa is stunning, acting wise there are no disappointments, however when it comes to the story it's an utter snorefest.