Set in the 1950s, a a group of young girls in upstate New York form their own gang.
Cantet's latest is long but never drags, offering a frequently thrilling evocation of teen lives. Proof that The Class and Time Out were no pan flashes.
It may not be among Cantet's finest, but it's a bold film by a bold director, a challenging take on a totemic aspect of American myth – high-school rebellion – that's rarely been treated as a political issue, still less a feminist one.
Some of the newcomers are pretty good, but the drama is overlong and stilted.
The girls, even when they smoke, curse and rob lecherous men, aren't remotely convincing as teen delinquents.
Foxfire never feels long; though it unravels a little in its final act, when a faintly implausible kidnap plot takes over. Still, the passion and sincerity of the performers carries the day.
The acting is often frighteningly good, and a little coda set some years later is fascinating.
General release. Check local listings for show times.