With exuberant naturalism from its non-professional actors, and a standout performance from Kosar Ali as Rocks’s best friend, the film covers the highs and lows of female adolescence with compelling sensitivity.
You will seldom find a film that cuts open a city and shows you its insides like Rocks does. Respectfully crafted, righteously funny and tender, Gavron has defined a generation like no-one else, and these efforts are not to be ignored.
Perhaps the most impressive element is the way that the picture so deftly juggles its tonal shifts. Rocks is as mercurial and complex as any moody teenager can be, veering from hilarity to misery and back again in seconds.
83
The PlaylistElla Kemp
The PlaylistElla Kemp
The beat is infectious, these girls’ stories a resounding celebration.
This potent work about stolen childhood deserves attention because of the freshness of the cast and because it confirms that Gavron is a director to watch.
A film that feels as authentic as it is boisterous.
75
Film ThreatHanna B.
Film ThreatHanna B.
Rocks’ moments of brutal realism depicting the seriousness of its protagonist’s real-life drama will hit you hard or make you wonder why life is so unfair.