Parents' Guide to Foxfire

Heavy with teen angst and queer undertones, this dark but surprisingly warm drama centers female friendship and empowerment. In Foxfire, the teen girls are consistently targeted by men—sexually assaulted by a teacher, physically abused by a father, threatened by a group of teen boys—but they draw power from their friendship to stand up to their perpetrators. Do things get out of hand? Sure. But they're left with strength and new perspectives after the fallout, even if there are lessons to be learned from the way they unquestioningly follow the very person telling them to think for themselves. Jolie is presented as a kind of James Dean knockoff—a mysterious, rebellious drifter who appears out of nowhere and serves as both the catalyst for change and an instrument of chaos. She's well cast in the role, even if her character remains a little one-dimensional. Viewers will see the potential consequences of the girls' actions as they happen, but playful music choices make their antics seem fun and harmless, even as they become more serious and dangerous. There's something very bittersweet about where the story goes, but probably also realistic. This is a powerful teen drama with mature themes and a refusal to paint life in black and white.