Eve Austin, Tallulah Greive, Abigail Lawrie, Sally Messham, Rona Morison, Marli Siu
Scottish director Michael Caton-Jones’s riotous 90s-set comedy drama, an affectionate adaptation of Alan Warner’s widely acclaimed novel The Sopranos, follows six Catholic teenage schoolgirls cutting loose in Edinburgh.
The choir girls of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour are on a day trip from their Highlands hometown to a singing competition in the capital; but the rebellious gang sitting at the back of the bus (brilliantly played by Eve Austin, Tallulah Greive, Abigail Lawrie, Sally Messham, Rona Morison and Marli Siu) are far more interested in drinking, boys and sex than they are singing. Cue an exploration of sexuality, class differences and the tumultuous path of true friendship.
Skilfully adapted by Caton-Jones, who first optioned the novel 20 years ago, it’s reminiscent of Channel 4’s hit series Derry Girls, though with a far more upfront study of teenage female desire. Hilarious and determinedly sex positive, it refuses to judge its stars for their sexual escapades or depict them through a male lens and perfectly evokes the possibilities and frustrations of being young and defiantly alive in mid-90s Scotland.
