Young British actress Kate Hardie, who made her mark in supporting roles in films as diverse as Mona Lisa, Runners and The Krays, acquits herself well in the central role of this otherwise terminally tedious rites-of-passage drama set on Spain's Costa del Sol. Caroline Catz also scores brightly as her fellow Mancunian travelling companion. The Malaga locations are sunny and striking, but far too little happens for too long and the film seems to ramble on for several hours. The director's concentration on pretentious dialogue at the expense of character development strains even our patience with this likeable heroine - although if you have any lingering doubts about leaving your belongings on the beach while you go swimming, this will remove them.
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