Teenaged Pauline (Melanie Lynskey) has always done well in school but was shy with no close friends, until British transplant Juliet (Kate Winslet) arrived. The girls become inseparable, to the point where Juliet's father (Clive Merrison) is concerned that Pauline might be a lesbian (but not his daughter, of course). The girls retreat further into the fantasy world they've created, referring to each other almost exclusively by their characters' names. Then tragedy strikes. Professor Hulme decides to move Juliet to South Africa --given her history with tuberculosis-- when he takes another job in England. Faced with permanent separation, Pauline comes up with a plan to make sure they're never apart again.
This is based on a true story and uses extracts from the real diary Pauline Parker kept. The movie portrays the gay panic as the true horror but I was stuck on the statutory rape that just gets glossed over. Pauline's family takes in college-aged boarders for extra money and one takes an unhealthy interest in the 14-year-old girl. Of course that's somehow her fault and drives the wedge between her and her parents even further.
This launched the careers of Winslet and Lynskey as well as director Peter Jackson. It's not hard to understand why. Both actresses are magnetic and engaging, the fantasy sequences are seamlessly incorporated, and it already shows touches of the director's signature. It is unfortunately only available for rent or purchase. I enjoyed it but I'd probably wouldn't watch it again, so I'd recommend rental.
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