Cracks

I came across this film out of desperation the other night...just wanting to watch something decent. What I found was a gem of a movie. I wasn't familiar with anyone in the cast except Eva Green from Dark Shadows, who I didn't really have an opinion of either way and I'm not a fan of boarding school movies of any sort, but I watched it anyway.

Eva Green, as Miss G, was completely captivating and I could picture myself having a school girl crush on her when I was in high school...or heck, maybe even now. Her character comes across as educated, well traveled and totally alluring in every way...until a Spanish transfer student comes to the school and she begins to unravel.

The film is beautifully shot and the music is a perfect compliment to it. I really can't wait to see what else Jordan Scott does next.

The film also reminded me of Lord of the Flies. It was like a cinematic challenge: can the same horror emerge from the humanity of children if they are girls, not boys, and they are in a prestigious English school, not lost on a wild island. The answer is yes! I feel that I spoil quite a lot saying more, so enough said.

This film is very well played by all actors, including the young girls, directed beautifully and using both impressive scenery and great costumes. What I found a little odd was the speed with which the girls were switching from best friends to evil witches and back again. I am told children are like that, so I should have probably ignored that some of the girls there were hot as hell and considered them all well under age.

Eva Green played a complex character, easy to sympathize with at times, easy to loathe at others. She carried this film almost to perfection.

Bottom line: I kept this film in my private collection. I think it is a must see.

A very nice person suggested me to transcribe, what I actually wrote on boards about this movie, as a review, so here we go. In the first place, I decided that this movie became one of my all-time favourites... and why is that I 'decided'? Because the more I thought of this movie after watching it, the more I liked it. And what I mean by that is, the main reason I loved this film, would probably be because of the feeling it generated on me. It felt like I was reading a book, an actual & good one, you know, because of its twists, its dramatic scenes and the complexity of its characters & emotions.

I liked the way it explores human emotions and relationships but centered in a darker side, let's just say. The dichotomy showed was so well made. It was all so real and so unreal at the same time. Besides, it certainly shows us the thin line that exists between desire and obsession. PLUS, the fact that such things are still going on nowadays, which makes it very realistic.

Even though I do know this movie is in fact based on a book, I can't really comment from that perspective since I didn't read it, but anyway that's not my point here... The way I see it, In my opinion, this film is so smart, intriguing, fascinating and so beautifully executed that not only will stay with you long afterwards but also will make you talk, comment about it with others, you know, and that's just simply the kind of movie I love to watch but unfortunately, there aren't enough films like this.

In addition to that: The cinematography was just... breathtaking. The locations... esthetically pleasing. The soundtrack... impeccable. The wardrobe... simply gorgeous.

And well, what to say about the actings? They were just... impressive, top-notch, especially Eva Green's one, which was jaw-dropping. She literally gave me the chills with her performance. She left me fascinated. That being said, Jordan Scott you are (ei) genius! Needless to say, I'm looking forward to see more of your work.

This film is about a young female teacher in a prestigious British boarding school. She develops a special interest in one of her pupils, causing catastrophic changes in group dynamics.

"Cracks" is such a big surprise. It is technically well made, with great cinematography throughout. The best thing is that the plot is well told, it is engaging throughout the whole story. Every emotion and feeling is conveyed by expert story telling, such as the mood of the scene and the body language of actresses. They draw viewers into their world, and into their feelings. One can easily tell Miss G's attraction, confusion and panic; Di's jealousy and Fiamma's emotional change throughout the film. Such an empathy inducing film is rarely seen nowadays.

I do recommend "Cracks", and I hope it will reach a wider audience.

The foundations are similar: a tightly regimented boarding school, and one cavalier staff member who encourages nonconformity and an independent spirit. From this basis arises themes of social cliques, jealousy and unequal obsession, petty cruelty, secrets, anxieties, a facade and pretense belying actual lack of knowledge or experience, and still more story or character ideas lending to considerable tension. None of this is particularly remarkable, perhaps, save for the extremity to which all such notions are taken - where other titles have explored such ideas with a mind toward light fantasy, or coming of age, 'Cracks' instead becomes astoundingly bleak, and almost altogether horrifying. For all that, it's increasingly compelling, though one way or another this ranges from "hard to watch" to "surely not appealing for all."

The movie does boast concrete narrative threads, especially in the character arc of Miss G, though they are loosely assembled such that strictly speaking it never feels like we're being propelled in a specific direction. All this may not sound like much, but as the length advances and dynamics become more severe, the tableau becomes unexpectedly dark and forceful, and likewise more actively engaging as events build toward some inevitably terrible conclusion. Through it all I can only commend the cast for their fine performances, not least the younger members of the ensemble. Juno Temple, María Valverde, and Imogen Poots portray the chief students Di, Fiamma, and Poppy with vibrant life and harsh personality, such that even if the story were centered only on these three it would be quite absorbing. Eva Green, meanwhile - force of nature that she is, able to speak volumes with only the slightest of gazes or facial expressions - has rarely taken on a role so unremittingly dreary as Miss G. That says a lot, given her list of credits; either way, as expected she navigates the part with all the tremendous nuance and skill we know she possesses.

Ultimately 'Cracks' comes off more as a character drama than anything else, a slant which may serve in some measure to limit its audience. Such as it is, however, at length I believe the writing and direction are wonderfully strong, tying together a feature that can also claim fabulous filming locations, production design, art direction, and costume design. Overall I think this is very worthwhile on its own merits; however, even at its most taut and grim it's never perfectly captivating. I enjoyed watching, yet it also feels like something is missing, one or two puzzle pieces without which the image is less than whole. It's hard to put into words exactly what the issue is, though in any case this is purely subjective. And even if it's not flawless, by and large I'm pleased to have spent time with this movie, and it earns a soft recommendation. Suggested above all for fans of Green or the other cast members, 'Cracks' may not be entirely essential, but it's a well made picture, and worth checking out if you have the chance.