Possibly influenced by the nuanced societies of Jane Austen and the estrogen-infused work of Lillian Hellman, co-writers and co-directors Tatiana von Furstenberg and Francesca Gregorini explore the emotionally complex world of young women in their thoughtful coming-of-age drama Tanner Hall.
Everything about Tanner Hall is somewhat timeless: the slightly crumbling ivy-clad exterior, white porcelain sinks and teenaged girls in pleated skirts, cardigans and knee socks. The story of the people inside this grande dame of an institution, however, troubles the benign surface of these classic images.
It is fall, and Fernanda (Rooney Mara) returns to her beloved Tanner Hall to begin the new school year. She is yearning to see her old friends Kate (Brie Larson) and Lucasta (Amy Ferguson). Although clearly girls of privilege, they exhibit none of the stereotypical behaviours assumed of children of their class; rather, they are at once worldly and innocent, hovering on the razor's edge between adolescence and adulthood.
But there's a new girl: Victoria (Georgia King), who is clearly one angry, emotionally dishevelled young woman. Victoria wants scalps on her belt, and within hours of her arrival, she has set the trio of friends against each other without their fully understanding why or how. That's just the first day.
Victoria instinctively understands that Fernanda is her prize because she is practical, clear-eyed and not easily fooled. But while Victoria focuses on manipulating her, Fernanda's attentions are elsewhere, mostly on her developing affections for Gio (Tom Everett Scott), the husband of one of her mother's friends. Vulnerable to the stirrings of what she thinks is real love, Fernanda allows his pursuit of her to get tangled up in the teenaged machinations around her, and the outcome is a much-too-rapid vault into adulthood for each girl.
Brian Rigney Hubbard's cinematography is exquisite, perfectly capturing the warm fall colours and crisp New England air circling the memorable women of Tanner Hall.
Jane Schoettle
Francesca Gregorini was born in Rome and is currently at work on her next
feature screenplay. Tanner Hall (09, co-director) is her screenwriting and
directing debut.