Ladies in Black – October 21

On October 21st Okanagan Screen Arts is showing “Ladies in Black” at the Vernon Towne Cinema.

Set in Sydney, Australia in the summer of 1959, this film, which has been adapted from the bestselling novel by Madeleine St. John, is a tender-hearted comedy/drama delving into the lives of a group of department store employees during Australia’s cultural awakening and women’s liberation.

This film tells the coming-of-age story of a shy suburban schoolgirl, Lisa, (Angourie Rice) who dreams of going to the University of Sydney. While she is waiting for her final exam results, she takes a summer job at a large department store where she works closely with a group of saleswomen (the ladies in black) who take her out of her sheltered life and open her eyes to begin her transformation into adulthood and change her life forever.

Julia Ormond, as Magda the vivacious manager of the high-fashion floor, and fellow sales ladies Patty (Alison McGirr) and Fay (Rachel Taylor), befriend and mentor Lisa. As we watch, Lisa transitions from an awkward schoolgirl into a positive and glamorous young woman. Along the way, she is awakened to a world of possibilities and becomes a catalyst for a cultural change in everyone’s lives.