『Did you love her, or… did you want to break her?』
π₯ Movie Overview
π¬ Title: Cracks (2009)
π Country: π¬π§ United Kingdom
π️ Genre: Drama / Psychological / Thriller
π️ Production & Release: Ridley Scott Free Scott Films
⏳ Runtime: 104 minutes
π’ Director: Jordan Scott
π️ Screenplay: Caroline Ip, Ben Court, Jordan Scott
π Original Novel: Sheila Kohler 『Cracks』
π©πΌ Cast: Eva Green – Miss G
Juno Temple – Di
MarΓa Valverde – Fiamma
𧩠Story Deep Dive (Spoilers)
π« A Closed World and Its Cult of Devotion
1930s England, in an isolated girls’ boarding school. The students live cut off from the outside world, following Miss G, the swimming team’s leader, with absolute devotion. She preaches freedom and courage, but in truth, her authority rests upon the girls’ affection and obedience. Di in particular harbors feelings beyond those of a student, crossing the fragile line between devotion and jealousy.
πΆ♀️ Fiamma’s Arrival, the Beginning of the Cracks
Fiamma, the aristocratic transfer student, is quiet, independent, and refuses to blend into the existing order. Her presence soon becomes a threat to Miss G’s world. Miss G grows increasingly interested, controlling, and obsessed with her. Though Fiamma firmly keeps her distance, Miss G takes this rejection as a devastating blow to her fragile self-esteem.
π₯ Crossing Emotional Boundaries, Prelude to Danger
Miss G, unaware of her own feelings, tries to possess Fiamma. Her emotions blur into an ambiguous mix of love and hunger for power, eventually manifesting as a desire for domination with physical threats. Meanwhile, the other girls begin to remain silent and look away, while Di slowly transforms into a bystander torn between loyalty and denial.
π«️ Fiamma’s Tragedy and the Community’s Silence
At the decisive moment, Miss G could have saved Fiamma’s life but chose to turn away. Her irresponsibility is mirrored by the community’s collective silence and complicity. Di, though fully aware of the danger Fiamma faced, remained silent, ultimately choosing to let Fiamma die in order to preserve her own attachment to Miss G and her conflicted emotions.
π¦ Emotional Resonance and Meaning
π Love or Possession?
Cracks explores the tangled emotions of admiration, obsession, and jealousy among women. Miss G’s feelings toward Fiamma extend far beyond the boundaries of a teacher-student relationship, mutating into a distorted power dynamic. What begins as affection evolves into possession and destruction rather than love.
π¬ Cinematic Touch – Elegance Within Unease
Director Jordan Scott uses restrained mise-en-scΓ¨ne and a calm visual style to highlight the characters’ inner turmoil. The serene natural landscapes are starkly contrasted with the claustrophobic and repressed desires inside. Iconic scenes such as Fiamma lying in the forest or the cold swimming pool of the boarding school symbolize psychological confinement and suppressed longing.
π Social Context and Behind the Scenes
Director Jordan Scott, daughter of Ridley Scott, made her feature debut with this film under his production. The original novel by South African writer Sheila Kohler carries autobiographical elements, centered on women’s power relations and oppression. The film portrays taboo around same-sex desire, hierarchies within women’s educational spaces, and situates them within the 1930s setting while raising questions still relevant today.
πͺ The Cracks Begin Within
The title “Cracks” does not only signify physical fractures but also emotional breakdown and ruptures in relationships. The film illustrates how moral evasion, emotional repression, and blind devotion converge to create tragedy, prompting viewers to reflect on what choices they themselves might have made.
π― Personal Rating
π Love Scene Intensity: ♥♥♥
⭐ Overall Rating: ★★★☆
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