The pleasant and slightly odd coming-of-age movie “Extra Geography” knows exactly what it’s going for, even if it doesn’t do anything wildly new with the formula.
Set at an English girls’ boarding school, the film follows extremely smart teenage best friends Minna (Galaxie Clear) and Flic (Marni Duggan), two young women who are great at school, great at being codependent, and absolutely clueless about the real world. Seen fully through a teenage lens, director Molly Manners really nails the enclosed and intense feeling of adolescence. It’ll take you right back to that time when friendships feel all-consuming, crushes feel life-altering, and growing up feels like something you can perfectly plan out if you just try hard enough.
Minna and Flic are funny, warped, and adorably self-serious, especially when they decide that becoming worldly obviously means falling in love. This kicks off a chain of events where the two besties vow to fall in love with the very next person they see. Unfortunately (or perfectly), that person is their extremely unremarkable geography teacher (Alice Englert).
The joke here is how seriously the girls treat this deeply ridiculous plan, approaching love like an academic subject while clearly having no idea how actual adult relationships work. It’s a different kind of queer coming-of-age story that’s easy to watch, breezy, and gently funny, which will ease in audiences who are still uncomfortable with LGBTQ+ cinema.
The movie is at its best when it focuses on the strong bond of friendship, especially as it starts to fray and the girls realize that growing up doesn’t always happen at the same pace. Minna and Flic are terrifically relatable (and well written) characters, and most viewers will see in them at least a little bit of themselves.
While the story is enjoyable, the pacing drags a bit in the middle. Despite a few charming little surprises, the narrative is familiar enough that you can usually guess where it’s going before it gets there. The British humor and attitude help keep things light, but they don’t fully hide how well-trodden this coming-of-age path is.
Despite a couple of hiccups, “Extra Geography” is warm, likable, and easy to spend time with. It may not be a highly memorable movie, but it has a real affection for teenage friendship and first love.
By: Louisa Moore
Screen Zealots 