Showing @ Filmhouse, Edinburgh until Thu 1 Nov
Sally Potter / UK/Denmark/Canada/Croatia / 2012 / 90 min
It has been 50 years since the Cuban missile crisis. For thirteen days in October 1962, the threat of nuclear war was high. Writer/director Sally Potter’s new film looks at a time before the sixties were labeled ‘swinging’, and at the grim reality of growing up through a revolutionary period in Western history. We follow Ginger (Elle Fanning) and best friend Rosa (Alice Englert) as they grow up, making social, sexual and political discoveries. As they learn to engage with the changing world around them, their differences become apparent.
Potter’s emotional drama demands the very best of its cast, which includes Timothy Spall, Annette Bening and Madmen’s Christina Hendricks. It’s a slow-burner, and although not a lot happens, the film offers intimate insight into the era from an almost forgotten perspective. The soundtrack is comprised of bluesy jazz music: Brubeck’s ‘Take Five’ alongside Miles Davis and Charlie Parker is used to compliment, very effectively, the action. Now, at a time when we are (arguably) less politically aware, Potter’s film quietly and relatively powerfully challenges the roles of religion, art and individuals in politically tense times.
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