Nadine Garner made her debut in this film as a 14-year-old, and is very good as Sarah, a serious young adolescent who likes school and painting, but whose hearing problem and seriousness make her a target for teasing by other girls.
The story of her relationship with her working mother, and her trip to her grandfather's the seaside is not particularly well handled, with a slow pace, stilted dialogue and a series of slow unresolved scenes. Nevertheless Garner's performance as a thoughtful, hopeful, but frustrated teenager helps sustain interest to the end.
Apart from Garner, Ben Mendelsohn also made his debut in this film as a young-looking 16-year-old and Steve Bastoni also appears in only his second film with a good performance as Sarah's new boyfriend.
The story of her relationship with her working mother, and her trip to her grandfather's the seaside is not particularly well handled, with a slow pace, stilted dialogue and a series of slow unresolved scenes. Nevertheless Garner's performance as a thoughtful, hopeful, but frustrated teenager helps sustain interest to the end.
Apart from Garner, Ben Mendelsohn also made his debut in this film as a young-looking 16-year-old and Steve Bastoni also appears in only his second film with a good performance as Sarah's new boyfriend.