Cracks

The camera loves Eva Green in Cracks and the feeling is mutual. The former Bond girl plays Miss G., a charismatic teacher in a strict, all-girls English boarding school in the '30s. Her Miss G is very much the proto-feminist, a bohemian who encourages the girls to seize the day in a very Mr. Keating way. "Desire is the most important thing in life," she says. But she encourages more than just individuality in her students…

The first time we spot Miss G, it spells trouble. We see her through the eyes of lovelorn student, Di (Temple) as she rows a boat across a lake: Miss G is stretched out, a cigarette dangling from her fingers, her eyes are closed, a content smile on her face. For Di, this is the sexiest thing she's ever seen and her teacher knowingly feeds this. Miss G. Presides over a tight clique that makes up the school diving team, captained by Di. Their cosy life changes when Fiamma (Valverde), a stunning Spanish princess, arrives at the school. Di immediately hates her but Miss G. Is quite taken with her, despite Fiamma's determination not to fit in with the rest. Miss G.'s attraction soon turns to obsession, and as the girls become increasingly jealous with their teacher's growing admiration for the new girl, they decide to put a stop to it...

It's hard to escape comparisons with The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie and Dead Poets Society (and a little Lord of the Flies) but Cracks, adapted from Sheila Kohler's novel and directed by Ridley Scott's daughter, Jordan, goes further than those coming-of-age dramas; it gets quite brave before the close. Scott, making her debut, is more her father's daughter than her uncle's niece. She displays the patience of an experienced director and resists the temptation to jump to the juicier parts like uncle Tony does. It's a nice film to watch, everything is soft on the eyes.

Sometimes the dialogue tries too hard, however, with lines like "save yourselves from the shackles of conformity!" Who talks like that? Although the girls are reduced to one-dimensional characters (Di is the jealous one, Fiamma the sensual one), Miss G. Is as fully rounded as they come. She's an interesting person and a myriad of contradictions: although she encourages fight and spirit in her wards, she never enters her dive team in any competitions; although she encourages individuality, she also is very insecure, needing the admiration of her students to get her by. The film revolves around her behaviour. She drips sexuality and, later, that sexuality is coupled with neediness, and Green takes the opportunity to shine with both hands.