Cracks

Set in a strict elite boarding school in the 1930s, the story centers on a clique of girls who idolize their enigmatic swimming instructor, Miss G (Green). When a beautiful Spanish girl named Fiamma Coronna (Valverde) arrives at the school, Miss G's focus is shifted away from the other girls. Di Radfield (Temple) has a crush on Miss G, and is the firm favourite and ringleader of her group. It becomes a triangle: Miss G gets increasingly obsessed with Fiamma, Fiamma is disturbed by Miss G and also openly disgusted by the teacher's hypocrisies and deceptions, and Di is terribly jealous and makes Fiamma's life hell. The bullying culminates in Di physically throwing Fiamma out of the school. When Fiamma is eventually found, the two girls make the first steps towards friendship, and at the following dorm party they all get a bit drunk, and Fiamma passes out; Miss G takes her to her own room and molests Fiamma; Di witnesses this through the room door, which was left ajar, and flees. The next morning, Fiamma is visibly upset, Miss G equally so as she runs around after her. Di is broody, and eventually tells the rest of her gang that Fiamma seduced Miss G. Fiamma tells Miss G that she will report the molestation to the teachers, and horrified, Miss G realises her career will be over. She in turn manipulates Di's affection for her into anger. The confrontation between Di's gang and Fiamma turns ugly after Fiamma tries to explain what really happened, and as she reveals Miss G's lies and character defects. Fiamma runs into the forest as things become more violent, but the girls catch up with her and, under Di's leadership, beat her up. Fiamma starts to have an asthma attack, and the girls stop, terrified. They run to get help, and Di runs into Miss G, who declares she'll go to Fiamma, and directs Di to the teachers. In the forest, Miss G refuses to give Fiamma her inhaler, and calmly watches her die. Di returns just in time to see Miss G placing the inhaler in Fiamma's lifeless hands, and that's when she realises the truth. Later, Di tells the girls what happened, and united, they confront Miss G. They are powerless officially (the headmistress refuses to acknowledge the school's culpability, despite releasing Miss G from her duties), but they quit the swim team and deliver Miss G from her last role......