She-Monkeys (12, DVD only)
Almost
certainly the only Swedish drama to evoke the spectre of Tonya Harding, Lisa
Aschan’s distinctive coming-of-age saga charts the friendship and rivalry that develops
between two sporty girls: Emma (Mathilda Paradeiser), sensible new recruit to
an afterschool gymkhana, and the club’s glacial, imperious front rider
Cassandra (Linda Molin). These two first bond while getting their teeth into
the local boys, but really only have eyes for one another – which gets tricky,
when it turns out there are but limited places on the team. Aschan renders
these girls’ giggly pleasures and growing pains as part of a loose sequence of
funny, weird, forever vivid formative moments, coaxing terrific performances
from her limber young leads: while marvelling at Paradeiser and Molin’s mad
vaulting skills, we spy the mistakes Emma and Cassandra are likely to make in
later life, if they don’t or cannot correct themselves. A small gem, all too
keenly informed by painful memories of what it takes to be best in show.
She-Monkeys is available on DVD through Peccadillo from Monday.
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