"Foxfire" is about a group of high school girls who are empowered by a mysterious rebel (Angelina Jolie) who drifts into their lives. That itself is a great theme, and I love a good rebel story as much as the next guy or gal.
But this isn't a straightforward "go girl power" flick. Early in the film, things start to get out of hand when the girls resort to violence and criminal activities, and as you can guess things get trickier as the film approaches its tense conclusion.
To me, the beauty of this film is not the simple message about girls fighting back. It's the complex theme of how far is too far? Whether you're a male or female, when is violence justified? And is vigilante justice true justice, or just another form of aggression? These are ideas which the director certainly wants us to consider. Although Jolie's character is definitely glorified for her badass ways, there are enough seeds of doubt to make us wonder if she's really such a great role model.
Excellent acting by a young Angelina Jolie make this a real treat to watch, even for people who aren't her fans. She plays a tough role: a person who is always in control, always cool, yet suppressing some vulnerabilities & volatile demons within.
The directing style is very artistic without getting bogged down with itself. Great attention is paid to colors and composition of shots which, if you pay attention to that sort of thing, will really impress you. I had initially feared that this would have an "ABC afterschool special" vibe to it, but it's clearly in a serious league. As a tangent to that thought, there is some nudity (male posterior in the beginning, and a scene with several topless girls performing a sort of ritual, none of which is sexual).
By the way, there's also a scene depicting a bunch of ill-fated frogs nailed to boards in biology class, but the disclaimer at the end says it was simulated and no animals were harmed.
"Foxfire" reminded me of two similar films that focus on young girls fighting back. These are: the iconic 1988 "Heathers" (a dark comedy about a few murder/suicides at a high school, starring a young Winona Ryder), and the relatively obscure but powerful 2000 "The Smokers" (another dark comedy about high school girls striking back at rapists... by raping them back!). Along with Foxfire (1994) all of these films, one for each decade, present the viewer with a very compelling look at feminism. But whether you're a guy or a girl (I'm a guy if you hadn't guessed), they present charming & chilling portrayals of vigilante justice. Oh, I'll add one more to the list, the most recent addition: "Super" (2010) a very funny--and very disturbing--look at what happens when the rebel gets too wrapped up in his/her idea of "justice". If this theme interests you, your time will not be wasted on any of this great movies.
