Review of Ginger & Rosa (2012) by David F — 17 May 2013

A film set in the 60s as seen through the eyes of its two central characters, it tells the story of Ginger and Rosa and their friendship which blossomed and deteriorated amid the prevailing paranioa of that period. It has, in my opinion, captured the zeitgeist of the era.

The juxtaposition of the personal and political was quite clever as it gives clarity to the characters' own personal struggles by presenting a parallelism between what is happening to them and what is happening to the world outside. Ginger's paranoia over an impending nuclear holocaust mirrors her fear of the deterioration of her parent's marriage and the detrioration of her friendship with Rosa. These conflicts have been presented effectively.

Though, sometimes it feels like the film tries to say so many things at once and doesn't always get the message across, the powerful performance of the cast, especially Fanning, more than made up for this flaw. Fanning was able to tell Ginger's story with an honest voice. Such a remarkable performance from such a young actress is definitely something to look forward to.