The most important thing in life is desire

A somewhat pallid yet beautiful film, “Cracks” portrays an ethereal middle class world the 21st century can only fantasise about. Set in a British boarding school in the 1920s it can be argued that the often compelling cinematography compensates for the somewhat disappointing storyline. Indeed, “Cracks” is highly redolent of the 2004 French film “Innocence” where dialogue is often replaced by captivating scenery and metaphor.

Based loosely on Sheila Kohler’s novel of the same name “Cracks” perplexes and stands out amongst generic Hollywood trollop. Di (Juno Temple) is queen bee of the diving team and also hankers after the affections of Miss G (Eva Green). After being unwillingly ousted by Fiamma (Maria Valverde) Di decides to enact revenge. Although the story line is adequate and piques interest, the film’s lack of character development leads to a confusing denouement. Furthermore, the main enigma Miss G, is frustratingly never truly understood and her austerity remains unravelled.

Disappointingly, Jordan Scott’s debut will not be the commercial success it deserves to be. Only showing in limited cinemas many will have to wait for the DVD release but it will definitely be worth a buy. Eva Green, Juno Temple and María Valverde are three beautiful and talented actresses who can only rise in popularity (especially the latter two). Oh and Miss G wears some fabulous outfits.