Ginger & Rosa A Must-See

The new BBC-Produced movie Ginger & Rosa was an absolute delight to watch. It's the tumultuous world of 1962 as seen through the eyes of two British teenagers - Ginger played by the flawlessly natural and gifted American Elle Fanning; and Rosa played by the18-year-old Australian actress, Alice Englert, daughter of renowned New Zealand director Jane Campion (The Piano).

I've never seen any of writer and director Sally Potter's previous movies. But having seen her latest, I've concluded that she's a creative force to reckon with. The movie stays away from cliches but still reminds us of our own teenaged years or offsprings. Only a woman writer/director can produce such a masterpiece with a strong screenplay coupled with sense and sensitivity.

But what makes the movie almost perfect is the wonderful cast ensemble (apart from the two teenaged leads) - Alessandro Nivola, Christina Hendricks (Joan from Mad Men) and Annette Bening. The music (from Schubert to Charlie Parker to Miles Davis) and poetry are also great icings on the cake.

Elle and Dakota Fanning are probably two of the best-known child actresses in North America. But the younger Fanning even outshines her older sibling with her accomplishments so far. Her performance in this movie reminds me of the very young Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver and has already garnered her nominations for the Best Actress Award at the British Independent Film Awards and also the Best Young Actress Award by the Broadcast Film Critics Association. The 5'8" lanky teenager from Georgia, U.S.A., who has been acting since she was three, will further win numerous accolades as she matures.

I'm really proud to see that Canada is one of the producing countries of this film in addition to the BBC and other independent film companies from Denmark and Croatia.