“The whole thing is anchored by an edgy turn from Englert and a thrilling one from Fanning who, at fourteen years old, is already one of the world’s great screen actresses—her face conveys every flicker of thought, every explosion of pain or delight.
- John Powers, Vogue
“Elle Fanning is simply extraordinary as a budding teen in 1962 London who takes the whole weight of the world on her small shoulders in Ginger & Rosa, Sally Potter’s sharply observed tale of growing up amid the turmoil the nuclear threat and familial discord…Ginger & Rosa belongs to Fanning, who was just 13 during the shoot. On top of the entirely convincing accent and a chameleon quality so pronounced that it would be easy to believe that the actress onscreen is a terrific English unknown, Fanning exhibits an amazing range as a kid overwhelmed by the idea that humanity could be wiped out tomorrow, topped by the two-for-one betrayal by her father and closest friend. The boiling emotion that finally bursts Ginger’s seams when it all has to come out feels entirely real and not the least bit theatrical; one can only imagine how long it will take for this sensitive young soul to sort out all the issues she’s left with by the misdeeds of those around her, not to mention the larger world.”
– Todd McCarthy, The Hollywood Reporter
“Potter's script has a lot to say about the progressive attitudes of its chosen era by cleverly analogizing them to the expanding horizons of a restless adolescent mind. A viscerally charged work that foregrounds surface tensions and gripping performances, "Ginger and Rosa" is the filmmaker's most accessible and technically surefooted work to date…Fanning displays this desperation with a remarkably potent turn heightened by Potter's frequent use of extreme close-ups…Rising to the occasion, Nivola takes a potentially one-note debauchee and imbues him with more ambiguous qualities that Ginger constantly wrestles to comprehend.”
– Eric Kohn, indieWIRE
“Lovely and devastating, challenging yet worthwhile, Sally Potter's "Ginger & Rosa" may be the English filmmaker's best since "Orlando," and perhaps her most accessible to date. The intimate and sensual picture also features yet another terrific performance by 14-year-old Elle Fanning, who is quickly becoming the most compelling teenage actor working in movies today. But this time, as the lead, Fanning is transformative, heartbreakingly conveying the inner life of an adolescent with an almost eerily nuanced command of her craft. Expressively told, Potter is a master of documenting the rich emotional inner life of characters…Apart from Fanning’s incredible childlike vulnerability, which is often just heartbreaking, Alessandro Nivola's performance is also something to deeply admire. The oft-undervalued actor imbues grace and courage in an uncompromising character and achieves the rare feat of making vile and disgusting behavior simply a part of a complicated three-dimensional character, rather than allowing it to define him wholly… Beautiful, yet dark and moving, unsparing, but told with a sympathetic eye, “Ginger & Rosa” is sometimes relentless in its examination of emotional pain, and as such may be a challenging picture for some audiences…A layered and rich little gem of a picture about life, love, and trying to find and understand one's place in the world.”
– Rodrigo Perez, The Playlist
