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United Kingdom · 2020
1h 34m
Director Sarah Gavron
Starring Bukky Bakray, Kosar Ali, D'angelou Osei Kissiedu, Shaneigha-Monik Greyson
Genre Drama
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Olushola, nicknamed “Rocks,” is a regular teen living in London with her mother and Emmanuel, her younger brother — until their mother suddenly abandons them. She is forced to take care of Emmanuel on her own and try to avoid being discovered by social services. A realistic drama about hardship, friendship, and resilience.
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You will seldom find a film that cuts open a city and shows you its insides like Rocks does. Respectfully crafted, righteously funny and tender, Gavron has defined a generation like no-one else, and these efforts are not to be ignored.
CineVue by Christopher Machell
Rocks is a faultlessly authentic study of contemporary young life in the inner city.
The beat is infectious, these girls’ stories a resounding celebration.
Rocks’ moments of brutal realism depicting the seriousness of its protagonist’s real-life drama will hit you hard or make you wonder why life is so unfair.
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) by Kate Taylor
With exuberant naturalism from its non-professional actors, and a standout performance from Kosar Ali as Rocks’s best friend, the film covers the highs and lows of female adolescence with compelling sensitivity.
The Observer (UK) by Mark Kermode
What a wonderful, heart-breaking, life-affirming gem of a movie this is.
The Guardian by Peter Bradshaw
This film is such a rush of vitality. It rocks.
The Hollywood Reporter by Stephen Farber
This potent work about stolen childhood deserves attention because of the freshness of the cast and because it confirms that Gavron is a director to watch.
A film that feels as authentic as it is boisterous.
Perhaps the most impressive element is the way that the picture so deftly juggles its tonal shifts. Rocks is as mercurial and complex as any moody teenager can be, veering from hilarity to misery and back again in seconds.
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Complex, emotional, heart-breaking. When the credits roll, you’ll think, “Wait!” Still, this film is full of energy and authenticity from beginning to end, partly thanks to the stellar cast of teens.
Genuinely one of the best movies about teenage girlhood I've ever seen. The ferocious care and joy these characters share with each other, even as they're forced to confront struggles beyond what they know how to (or should be asked to) cope with. Features winningly naturalistic performances from an ensemble cast. This movie captures the pace and candor of schoolyard conversations and the fumbling tenderness of teen friendships better than any other. Heart-wrenching, funny, luminous, true.