Extra Geography : Hilarious coming-of-age film about female friendship – 4 Stars ****

4 Stars

Based on Rose Tremain’s short story, Extra Geography is a brutally honest and hilarious film about early female friendships which navigates school exams, first encounters with boys, and the mysteries of discovering your sexuality. 

This coming-of-age film, which was one of the highlights of this year’s Sundance Film Festival, has been adapted for the big screen by Miriam Battye and marks the feature debut of One Day director Molly Manners. 

Manners offers a fascinatingly authentic portrayal of young women alongside a sharp representation of British humour, and introduces to the big screen the sensational newcomers Marni Duggan and Galaxie Clear as Flic and Minna.

Set in the early 2000s, the two young girls are enrolled at a picturesque all-girls boarding school in the Yorkshire countryside, brought vividly to life through stunning colours and an incredible attention to detail in every frame.

Marni Duggan and Galaxie Clear deliver two majestic debut performances: the pair work in synchrony, with mirrored movements and shared mannerisms and ambitions. Excellent students and lacrosse athletes, they aspire to attend Oxbridge and have a profound hostility and disgust towards the opposite sex. 

Things get out of place when they are reluctantly forced to audition for the summer theatre production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, where they will share the stage with boys from a neighbouring school. Inspired by the play, the film is divided into acts, while elements of classical music combined with an indie soundtrack add an original and distinctive touch.

Between rehearsal and lacrosse matches Flic and Minna add another big goal to their list, their personal “summer project”: falling in love with the first person they see, who turns out to be the clumsy geography teacher Miss Delavigne (Alice Englert).

With its setting and sharp humour reminiscent of Derry Girls, the film explores how the chemistry and tenderness between the two girls gives way to jealousy and fierce emotions. As they compete for Miss Delavigne’s attention, they unexpectedly find themselves arguing when Minna’s attention shifts to the school play and their long-standing enemies the boys.

Extra Geography reminded me how effortless yet complicated early female friendships can be during high school – how they can begin out of convenience, grow into profound bonds, but fall apart in an instant. It’s a brutally bold story about the weird experiences and nuances of girlhood, filled with heartbreak, messiness, shared experiences, and the difficulties of growing up. 

Everything at that age seems like a life-or-death dilemma. Flic and Minna’s friendship is put under strain, delivering us a hilarious and unexpectedly heartbreaking story about growing together and gradually growing apart. 

With a bittersweet ending that captures the reality and messiness of girlhood, Extra Geography is far more than I expected. It’s an astonishing coming-of-age directorial debut, and definitely the beginning of a promising career for Marni Duggan and Galaxie Clear. The 14-year-old in all of us will relate to this story.

Extra Geography received its UK premiere at Edinburgh International Film Festival and is out in the UK from 2nd October