MovieChat Forums > Cracks (2011) Discussion > Everyone on this board seems to miss the...

Everyone on this board seems to miss the point in this

posted 14 years ago by JamesBrownWasBrown
16 replies | jump to latest

I think the main thrust of the story is not the lesbian aspect (which seems like a dirty old mans brain-fart) but the wanting of something that miss g could not have, having been trapped at the school all those years. Just as the children were in awe of miss g at the start, she was in awe of fiamma and her experience when she herself is almost a recluse with wild made up fantasies.

I think the subject of this film (lesbian teacher student antics at a boarding school) was always going to take over the main theme and I suppose that is the main pull and initial appeal anyway - mainly to dirty old men. Hence why the longest thread on this board is what constitutes lesbian rape. I refer to the fifth word of this post.

My views are not that well mapped out but seem to be the only actual thoughts on the story in this place.

[–] Viktorkrumnemesis 14 years ago

I totally agree with you! This film was a little gem! I loved it to pieces!

[–] destinylegend666-722-27440 14 years ago

Well, you’re right, but you also seem to miss one point.

You see the story as a whole from outside point of view, but how about from inside?
I mean from one or more individual character, in reality you may able to think “what’s going on here?” then “what could I do?”. Due to ego and emotion you may not able to see the true picture.

It is normal if each person think that his own feeling is righteous, but do Miss G. have right to force her ambition to other? It is a kind of selfish.

It seems Fiamma also think this way, you see at “Story of Africa” scene and when girls diving after Fiamma trying to escape, that she attempt to tell others that something wrong with Miss G.

"Let them be upset ... I want them to know what you really are."

[–] JamesBrownWasBrown 14 years ago

Sorry - Not really sure what you are trying to say here but it seems like you are attacking Miss G and her sexual abuse of the child Fiamma which is clearly wrong - you will find no-one to disagree with you. It is more severe than "kinda selfish" (Garry Glitter was more than "a bit inconsiderate" in South East Asia) but rape and almost pedophilia (though I find it difficult to believe Fiamma as a child as she looks a bit too old - the other children look more child-like and put Fiamma in perspective).

If I have missed your point please say as the other threads in this message board are full of absolute nonsense - any discussion is a step up. I have not read the book so may have missed something.

[–] Heidhwithien 14 years ago

I totally agree with you, except for the anti-lesbian thing. (now, I'm obviously NOT saying that you're anti-lesbian, it's just in the context of the film)

To me, one of the reasons that this film was so great was that it was about the desire of girls and women. Remember Miss G's speach about desire in the beginning of the film - that goes hand in hand with the not being able to achieve what she wants in life. But I also loved that their sexual desire went mainly towards other women. There is some talk about the gardener's boy, but what we see is desire directed from women to women, and I don't see that as a thing that will just appeal to dirty old men (I'm 23 and female, btw).

It also goes with the theme of being trapped. At that time, there was so little talk about homosexuality that I'd be surprised if the girls actually knew what it was. As always, information might have helped them understand their emotions and desires better.

I'm not sure any of the characters in the film are actual lesbians, not even Miss G. I saw her abuse of Fiamma as another way of trying to become her. But whatever the reasons behind that and other things, there is no doubt that we see strong, active sexual desire between women (and girls) in this film, and that's not something we see very often.

[–] crazy_teenaged_gal 12 years ago

Yeah, I agree Ms. G's fascination with Fiamma is just like the girls fascination with her, as Ms. G like the girls hasn't really seen the world and is trapped in the school too, so Fiamma is really interested and stimulating for her and I think she becomes obsessed and infatuated with the idea of her, this aristocrat from a foreign land, who has done so much and seen so much more then her and who is still only a child. I think her weird sexual assault is part of her fascination with the girl, who I think is meant to look a little older on purpose, she does not look like an adult, just like someone who bloomed early as some people say. And I think she was living more of an adult life then the other girls before she came to their school too.

"Well I'm in a good mood. It happens." - Blair Waldorf

[–] chas437 12 years ago

I agree with your interpretation. I also agree with the OP in that its a mistake to think the story is about Ms G being a frustrated lesbian. This is merely a distraction.

As you say, this film is about the unforntunate girls who get shipped off to this boarding school, where life is dreary and monotonous. They are sent there because they are orphans, or because their parents are traveling abroad, or in Flamma'a case, because of a scandelous affair.

Ms G has lived all of her adult life in this insular institution, where the outside world can only be imagined through post cards, novels, etc. In Ms G, we see a pathology that goes far beyond normal homosexuality (I don't mean to suggest homosexuality is pathological whatsoever). Ms G has missed out on all the so called rights of passage in life. The major one of these is exposure to boys/young men. Remember the scene where she goes into the small town, and is literally petrified to even be near men. So, in Ms G, we see a person who is first and foremost mentally unstable. In this context, her flamboyant behavior, constant lying and fantasizing about the outside World to the young niave girls, and even her homosexual delusions, can be understood. Ms G's obsession with Flamma is less about homosexual attraction and more about actually meeting some one who has experienced life outside the walls of an institution.

Ms G is a person who has "slipped through the cracks". One has to wonder how many of the other girls will meet the same fate.

[–] matt-baen 11 years ago

Exactly. Fiamma is the real thing of what Miss G pretends to be (and queen bee Di idolizes Miss G because of that).

Like Black Narcissus Cracks is an unflinching character drama about relationships in an isolated pressure cooker environment that turns into an intelligent horror movie towards the end. (I use that term reluctantly since so many horror movies are exploitative trash.) But overall it's closer to Picnic At Hanging Rock. As well as an inversion of the 'inspirational free-spirited teacher' trope.

[–] aimless-46 11 years ago

The main theme of the film is similar to that of "Atonement" and the story is being told from Di's point-of-view; she is the observant one and the focus for viewer identification. And like you I think people tend to get stalled on the whole lesbian thing which was just a plot device. It is really Di's coming of age story; but uniquely told because you get lost in the other two characters and don't get her voice-over narration until the closing scene.

The cover art reflects this; a three panel montage with an extreme close-up of Diana's eyes as the middle panel.

[–] hodie 11 years ago

In the book the ages of the girls varied from 12 to 17, I believe. I think Fiamma was 14 or 15, more a teenager than a prepubescent child.

"Joey, have you ever been in a Turkish prison?"

[–] hodie 11 years ago

The original story, including the "lesbian" aspect, was written by a woman. I don't see that she was in awe of Fiamma so much as she was obsessed, and later threatened, by her. In the book Miss G starts following Fiamma around like a lovestruck dog.

Great novel, BTW. Sheila Kohler is an impressive writer.

I wouldn't say that the subject is this film is lesbianism. Reminds me more of Lord of the Flies.
The sex is superfluous to the story of human desire and mob psychology in an isolated, self-contained setting.

"Joey, have you ever been in a Turkish prison?"

[–] !!!deleted!!! (41638798) 11 years ago

I'm in the camp that saw no lesbianism nor any theme regarding lesbianism.

To focus on that one thing means you miss every single important thing about the entire film. It's not seeing the forest for the trees.

Miss G was a repressed, institutionalized, borderline personality disorder creature who lied and made up fantasties to fulfill her yearnings as a person and as a woman. This we know.

On some level she was also aware she was nothing of the sort she was presenting to her "girls."

Then when she met the type of young woman she was pretending to be in her delustional state, it sent her reeling.

I think trying to meld physically with Fiamma was a kind of psychological break she was having...she tried to climb inside the skin of the young woman she WANTED to be.

She wanted all of that so badly she tried to BECOME Fiamma by sort of meshing with her physically.

Combine her lifetime of sexual repression on top of that and it was a dangerous mix for her.

So I saw her acts upon Fiamma as a psychological breakdown of sorts---she was forced to realize she was NOT Fiamma nor could she absorb her experiences that Miss Go so bady wanted to have by physically touching her.

I think the whole episode was entirely asexual in the traditional sense.

It was psychological in nature.

[–] la_cinematheque 11 years ago

Why do you keep repeating the phrase "dirty old men"? There's nothing inherently dirty about being a man interested in or attracted to lesbians. But more importantly, how arrogant to assume that's the biggest group this movie will appeal to. How about actual lesbians? Or wait, I guess you think lesbians only exist to titillate these dirty old men and couldn't possibly care about seeing stories relating to themselves in films.

Honestly, the tone of your post pretty much seems to suggest telling lesbian stories has no purpose besides being cheaply sensational or salacious to men. I would really love to be misreading what you mean, because that's awful.