Cracks 2009

     This film is a period drama set in 1934 and it is based on a novel by Sheila Kohler.  The title is Fiamma and it is written in Italian.  Miss G is a teacher at a private school for girls near the eastern coastline of England.  This school is an austere boarding school with an elite girls sports team.  The award winning diving team is considered to consist of the premier group of girls in the school.  The members are Di, Lily, Poppy, Laurel, Rosie and Fuzzy with Di as the Team Captain.  The other students envy the students on the team.  Miss G prides herself on being different type of teacher and a nonconformist.  Most of the other teachers are severe, straight-laced and they reinforce the school's reputation.  

     Everything for the team changes when Fiamma enrolls and becomes part of the diving. She is from Spain and she has a strong independent streak!!  She doesn't look to the other students for approval and she does things her own way.  This makes her more exotic and appealing to the other students which changes the pecking order.  The rest of the squad is also jealous of Fiamma’s relationship with Miss G.  The girls force her off the team and out of the school by bullying tactics.  Later, Fiamma is forced to rejoin the group.  The team decides to let her into their social circle.  They begin to be as fascinated with her as much as Miss G is.  Later things take a turn again with the team?

    This is interesting but it falls apart and loses itself near the end.  It becomes slow and predictable.  I didn't care for the conclusion, it could have been much better with more depth and investigation instead of a sweep under the rug style.  Miss G is shown as educated, well traveled and self-composed.  The film is beautifully shot and the music is a compliment to the film.  3* (This movie is OK)


104 min, Drama directed by Jordan Scott and written by Ben Court, Caroline Ip, Jordan Scott with Eva Green, Juno Temple, Maria Valverde, Imogen Poots, Clemmie Dugdale, Adele Mccann, Ellie Nunn, Zoe Carroll, Sinead Cusack.


Note:  Imdb 6.7 out of 10, Rotten Tomatoes 43% with 49 critics 48% audience with 8,118 ratings, reelviews.net 3* James Berardinelli, Slant Magazine 2* out of 4* Andrew Schenker, Eye For Film 3 1/2* out of 5* Richard Mellor, Amazon 3.9* out of 5* with 142 reviews, Metacritic 54 out of 100 with 12 critics (4* positive 8* mixed) 6.5 out of 10 with 15 ratings (7 positive 8 mixed) Letterboxd 3.3* out of 5*.

Special Note:  The poem that Poppy recites is Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley.  In the novel the boarding school is located in South Africa and not Great Britain.  This film is the only joint venture of the Scott family.  Jordan Scott is writer-director plus daughter of executive producer Ridley and Niece of Executive producer Tony Scott.  Directorial solo debut in a feature film for Jordan Scott.  In the novel, Fiamma has blond hair and she is a princess.  Filmed at Headfort School, Kells, County Meath; St. Columba’s College, Whitechruch, Dublin, County Dublin; Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland, Redcross, County Wicklow, Ireland; Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK.