LFF Review: Our Ladies

Our Ladies is a surprisingly sweet coming-of-age film

Did you go to a Catholic school where traditions and strictness rule or did you go to a more alternative school? The ladies in Our Ladies went for the first option but they wished that they’ve chosen that second one. Especially now that the hormones and rebellious feelings set in. Director Michael Caton-Jones (Asher, Urban Hymn) based his latest film on Alan Warner’s 1998 novel The Sopranos and the play Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour with a sweet, uplifting, emotional and lively coming-of-age movie as the result.

Caton-Jones takes us back to the 1990s Fort William in Scotland. Meet the six ladies who will take you on a wild ride for the next 100 minutes. Orla (Tallulah Greive), Kylah (Marli Siu), Finnoula (Abigail Lawrie), Manda (Sally Messham), Chell (Rona Morison) and Kay (Eve Austin) are the typical teenagers. They gossip about boys, booze, parties and social important issues such as teenage pregnancy and divorce. Their quiet lives at the Catholic school are about to change when their choir goes to Edinburgh for a singing competition.

It’s the first time the ladies are setting foot outside Fort William and that can only mean one thing: Time for boys and fun! While being en route to Edinburgh, the ladies make exciting plans and after the choir repetitions, it’s time to put those into action. It doesn’t take long before they realized what they’ve missed all those years. There’s no shortage of drugs, booze, men and sexual tension but how far can the ladies go before it unravels?

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It took 20 years for Michael Caton-Jones to bring his Our Ladies to the big screen and we can tell you that it was definitely worth the wait. If you’ve seen the stage musical adaptation of The Sopranos, then you know why this story is so well-loved by the audience. Whether you’ve seen it or not, you will love this movie for sure.

We truly want to applaud Caton-Jones as a writer because he allows his stunning cast to shine in this film thanks to the witty, funny and cleverly written script. There are a lot of jokes, little moments of pure pleasure and happiness but there’s a dark undertone to every character’s background story. Whether it’s Orla’s battle against her illness, the doubts of Chell or the insecurity about the future of Kylah. In Our Ladies you can’t judge the ladies by their covers as they each have their problems you might not see.

What you will see is without a doubt the female talent. It’s great to see such divers characters with each of their problems and happy moments. Every person on the screen is unique and so we will all recognize something of ourselves in the young ladies. If you’re dreaming of a career as a musician then you will be able relate to Kylah, thanks to Siu (Anna and the Apocalypse, Run) her emotional and thrilling performance. A teenager who’s struggling with whom she’s? Lawrie (Tin Star, The Man with the Iron Heart) performs it beautifully and intensely. If there’s one character you will look twice at, then it’s certainly Kay. She might seem the rich girl who has it all but she also has her problems. Austin (Fearless, Print) is capable of showing us all the different character traits of Kay in an elegant way.

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They always say that if you’ve looked death into the eyes, you know how precious life is. Due to leukemia, Orla knows that like no one else. Greive (Flatmates), her performance as a broken and sad but also happy and joyful survivor is very heartwarming, on-point and enjoyable. The very last scene will move you to tears . Growing up as a teenager comes with a lot of doubt, jealousy and the fear of losing everyone around you. If you’re going through this, you will instantly feel a connection with Manda because of Messham (Allied, Denial), her fine and solid acting. Last but not least, we also the explosive and feisty Morison as the party animal and impulsive Chell (Solo: A Star Wars Story, Ready Player One).

A film about raw and personal emotions needs to have a down-to-earth and very relatable cinematography. That’s exactly what cinematographer Denis Crossan (Asher, Billionaire Ransom) gave to this film. His work brings those feelings of openness and inclusiveness to the big screen and brings every character to life in a unique way. There’s no place for special effects or grandiose and over-the-top scenes in this movie.

This film got its world premiere during the BFI Film Festival in London and doesn’t have a UK release date yet. However, you should check it out the first chance you get. Together with a perfect cast, director Caton-Jones made from Our Ladies a wonderful, emotional and very lovely film. One that will make you laugh, cry and think.