Director Sarah Gavron turns her camera on contemporary London in this gritty tale of teen girls battling to survive.

“Rocks” is the nickname of the British-Nigerian main character (Bukky Bakray). Gavron gave special credit to casting director Lucy Pardee, who worked with her for a full year to find the girls who would act in the film. It was only then that screenwriters Theresa Ikoko and Claire Wilson wrote the script, drawing on what they learned from meeting the girls, many of whom had not acted before.

The story kicks in when Rocks’ mother suddenly abandons their home, leaving a note and asking Rocks to take care of her younger brother, Emmanuel (D’angelou Osei Kissiedu). Obviously this creates major challenges for an adolescent girl, but one of the most moving things in the movie is how Rocks makes a superhuman effort to shoulder the responsibility forced on her. Although teachers and social workers try to intervene, Rocks does her best to fend them off. She even engages in robbery to secure the money she needs for basic survival, but her lapses in judgment stem from the crisis facing her.

Despite these pressures, Rocks does not lose her joy in living. One of the most surprising and heartening elements in the film can be found in the joyful rapport among the girls at school, especially when they respond to music and dance. Survival challenges does not necessarily destroy the joie de vivre of the characters.

Yet the film is far from an idealized portrayal of teenage friendships. When Rocks takes refuge at the home of her best friend, Sumaya (Kosar Ali), a British girl of Somalian origin, she cannot refrain from venting about the jealousy she feels regarding the stable family life that her friend seems to enjoy. And when she moves in with another friend, Agnes (Ruby Stokes), Agnes tries to help by alerting the authorities about Rocks’ desperate situation; we can understand Agnes’ motivation, but we also apprehend the betrayal that Rocks experiences.

There is no clear or satisfying solution to the horrific family dilemma. Both Rocks and Emmanuel are ultimately placed in foster homes, and although their separation is heartrending, the open-ended conclusion suggests that the homes where they land may not be disastrous for either of them.

Gavron enlisted a mainly female crew — including cinematographer Helene Louvart, editor Maya Maffioli and composer Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch — and their empathy for the vulnerable characters enlivens the film. (SD-Agencies)