Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.


This is a very late entry to member Stephen_Murray’s write-off celebrating his fifth anniversary and Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. Hey, at least it’s still June. Steve, you might appreciate knowing this 1990 BBC movie set in the seventies won eight impressive awards, including the San Francisco International Lesbian And Gay Film Festival audience award in the category of Best Feature. Maybe you were in the audience. I even bought it because it’s not on DVD here in America (it is in UK). What’s with that?

Jeanette Winterson’s autobiographical novel, Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, has been adapted by Winterson to the screen as faithfully as possible. I haven’t read the novel, but ciao member coooeee, also not a lesbian, has after enjoying this movie and that is her opinion. I once checked out Winterson’s novels when member granniemose was so captivated by one, but I found the style too bizarre for my tastes.

Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit is a coming-of-age story for an adopted girl in the seventies. Her religious zealot mother raises her in her missionary footsteps, to sing at church and on the streets with her mother, pastor and others, which is her life.

The girl, Jess, starts out at age seven in an English village, played by Emily Aston, and after about an hour we see her as a pretty 16-year-old, played movingly by Charlotte Colman. Each actress won BAFTA awards. One day Jess is visiting a market and spies a beautiful blonde teen girl working behind the fish counter, which begins a light-hearted relationship that turns more serious when they discover one sleep-over night that they are lesbians. The only nude scene occurs then, but there isn’t much and the kissing is kept tasteful.

The girls, both “saved” in the Lord now since Jess’ friend (a Catholic!) accepted Jesus at a church service assisted by Jess, do not feel they are doing anything wrong, but keep their intimate relationship secret. Somehow Jess’ mother suspects (I guess Jess looks too happy) and searches her room in growing horror. I noted a D.H. Lawrence novel being tossed along with bits of paper (love poems?).

Now it gets very upsetting. The zealots condemn Jess’ activities as the work of the devil and they must help her to get rid of the evil one for her own good. They converge on the terrified girl the next morning, the deranged pastor (Kenneth Cranham) ties her up, stuffs a cloth in her mouth and holds her down as they pray for her soul. We don’t know what they did to the other girl, played sweetly by Cathryn Bradshaw, but she snapped and asked forgiveness. The girls are forbid to see each other, Jess becomes very ill, time passes.

Without giving away anymore details, Jess faces a decision: to renounce her happiness and go back to being a cookie-cutter religious zealot or to break away and become her own person. She doesn’t take the easy road and in the process matures into a lovely woman with some help from sympathetic older friends in the church.


Comments

I don’t think you need to be a lesbian or gay person to appreciate the poignant story and sensational acting, especially by the actresses portraying Jess and her priggish, controlling mother (Geraldine McEwan). Jess is quite likable as are her lesbian friends and older friends, but her mother…you have to feel sorry for her, really. McEwan nails her role almost spookily. Talk about Mummie Dearest!

Jess’ father (remember she was adopted) said one word in the entire movie, which was amen, and only watched without any expression while the mother ransacked Jess’ room and whenever he was around. Jess had no father in any sense of the word. Once Jess’ real mother visited to plead to see her daughter, but she was haughtily dismissed while little Jess watched secretly. I’m surprised the mother wasn’t mentioned again. She looked like a decent person, perhaps unmarried to gain moral disapproval.

Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, directed by Beeban Kidron, seemed rather too drawn out in the beginning child-Jess part and cutting out some of those hymns and preachin' could’ve given it better pacing for me, but it could also be seen as black comedy. It did get creepy to further the alienation that Jess later felt as a lesbian. Perhaps I’m not as attuned to Jess’ feelings as a lesbian would be because I didn’t get some of the humor.

The UK allows 15-year-olds to see this movie, but ciao member coooeee saw this for the first time as a teen and didn’t really understand it. The US gives it a R rating.

Jess’ mother only gives her oranges for fruit as she grows up, but as the movie shows us so well, oranges are not the only fruit. I’m glad I finally got the two VHS tapes in the mail and got it reviewed for ya, Steve. Enjoy the movie!

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: VHS