In her debut feature, Jordan Scott (daughter of Ridley) has conjured a lovely oddity combining elements of The Prime of Miss Brodie, The Children’s Hour, If, The Belles of St. Trinian’s, and even a bit of Lord of the Flies. It takes place in 1934 at a stately, prison-like girls’ school on an isolated island.
The flamboyant Miss G. (Bond girl Eva Green) dominates this realm, and her tales of adventure and paeans to desire have enraptured her young charges, especially her acolyte and favorite, Di (Juno Temple). Then Fiamma (Maria Valverde), a melancholy Spanish aristocrat, arrives, makes the others look like ugly ducklings, and even rivals and charms Miss G. with her beauty, worldliness, and athleticism.
The chaos that ensues is predictable, but not the consequences that follow. It’s all dreamily photographed and for the most part impeccably acted — the exception being Green, who at times postures like Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard.
