Well-paced, evocative and entertaining story of two high school girls who successfully ingratiate themselves into the cool surfer gang. There they are introduced to a world of cheating on exams, smoking, lying to parents, sexism, drinking, perfunctory sex, and drugs.
Though ostensibly the story of best friends Debbie (Nell Schofield) and Sue (Jad Capelja), this is Debbie's story. Debbie is the more dominant of the two actively rejecting the nerds and pushing for inclusion in the cool gang. Sue seems pretty happy with the status quo, but will tag along with Debbie. This keeps the story simpler as Debbie has two troubled relationships, becomes disillusioned, and yearns for a more fulfilling existence. Sue quickly takes up with the most sympathetic of the boys, Danny (Tony Hughes), for a much quieter life.
Apart from Debbie you don't get much insight into the characters though there is some exploration of the troubled Garry (Jeffrey Rhoe). The adult characters seem like caricatures, but this is Debbie's story and that's probably how they seemed to her.
The unmannered performances from the young cast are generally good, adding to the sense of realism, while Schofield is excellent. The music is good and well-used. A few overt comedy scenes seem forced and the film much more effective when it sticks to drama.
