Review: Ginger Snaps (2000)

My original intention with this review was to explore some of the art-house themes that crop up in Ginger Snaps: adolescent anxst, death fantasy, puberty/menstruation, and field hockey, but I'm short on time.

Please don't let the previous line lead you to believe that Snaps is an art-house flick. Far from it: rather than force the viewer to tease out themes from images, Snaps pretty much beats you over the head until they're sure you've got it. I mean, how many times can the trollish Brigitte repeat the connection between lycanthropy and menstruation?

I'm not gonna give the plot away any further than what you've just read. But I would like to comment about the really impressive cinematography. Kudos to director Tom Fawcett and DP Thom Best for the really good "above-the-town" shots, the action of the werewolf attacks, and best of all, the opening credits with all of the pictures of the two girls posing dead.

There are a lot of teen anxst one-liners and some darker, humorous moments that kept me into the film as it sputtered towards a climax. And sputter it does. The running time is just too long for a simple story like this. But, fear not, the film finds a great exit, and you're left hoping they'll make another (which they did).