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.

Set in the 1930s, Eva Green is Miss G, a swimming / diving instructor at an exclusive girls boarding school and adored by her team of girls, captained by Di played by Juno Temple. They are enthralled by her tales and claims of worldly experience and travel which soon turns out not to be true. In fact, the team dynamic soon changes when an actual worldly wise and travelled Spanish girl joins the school who Miss G favours much to the anger of the other girls, particularly Di.

There has been some criticism that this is largely atmosphere over plot and there is some justification for this. That said, as with many sinister school stories, there are vicious undertones here and it all neatly builds through considerable tension to a shocking finale. Everyone in this is does a fine job and Eva Green has always been cut out for this sort of role, supported here by the growing stardom and acting talent of Juno Temple.

Jordan Scott, niece of director Tony Scott who with his brother Ridley Scott serve a executive producers of this film, makes and impressive debut as a director/writer (with Ben Court and Caroline Ip) in this intensely interesting and well crafted adaptation of Sheila Kohler's novel CRACKS. This is a period piece (1934) that takes place in St. Mathilda's School in Stanley Island, England, an isolated all girl British boarding school. The mood is one of Gothic evil where rich young girls participate in the cloistered rigid education imposed by the matrons of the school -Miss Nieven (Sinéad Cusack), Matron (Helen Norton), and Miss Lacey (Deirdre Donnelly) - whose chief concern is to guard the reputation of the school at all costs, and lightened only by the presence of the swimming/diving coach Miss G (Eva Green) whom the girls admire for her exotic beauty, worldliness, supposed travel around the world, and her possessiveness of her brood.

One of the girls, Di (Juno Temple in a brilliant performance), is the team captain and the apparent favorite of Miss G - until the sudden arrival of a beautiful Spanish girl Fiamma (María Valverde) who tends to set herself apart form the rest of the claque (Di, Poppy (Imogen Poots), Lily (Ellie Nunn), Fuzzy (Clemmie Dugdale), Laurel (Adele McCann) and Rosie (Zoë Carroll). Fiamma is an expert diver and her gifts as a sportsman as well as her beauty attract Miss G, replacing Di as her favorite. In jealous rage Di gathers the claque and plans the exit of this unwanted intruder. How this backfires and increases Miss G's attraction to Fiamma leads down another path of evil that pulls this little tale of terror to a surprising end.

Eva Green manages to make Miss G a fascinating character and her gradual obsession with Fiamma and the direction that takes her is a very fine performance. But the entire cast - girls and teachers - is superb, especially Juno Temple in a career making role. The cinematography by John Mathieson finds both the haunting beauty of the isolated St. Mathilde's School and the splendid panoramas of nature add immeasurably to the film as does the musical score by Javier Navarette - a score that combines Anglican hymns with gentle piano music. This is a triumph for all concerned and bodes well for the career of Jordan Scott.

Grady Harp

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.

What a masterpiece Jordan Scott has put together here. She's created a work of art transcribing this novel to film with all it's topical and universal applications. Not many films move me to tears, but this one did.

Nothing is harder than to be great and to be misunderstood, to have no means of moving your talents forward as symbolized by both the isolation of the dramatic school on the island, and the the swim team. Nothing is harder than not to fit in. Nothing is more wrenching than potential and innocence gone to naught, and evil that lurks in all our hearts.

But there is redemption in true friends, the hero which rises to the cal in the best of our selves, if only for a moment, before it all dissolves into thin air....such stuff a dreams are made on.

Not only was the cast superbly selected, but the setting, on location shots, the costumes and very important the film score made this a superb experience for me.