Tanner Hall (2009)

Tanner Hall is a vivid peek into the private world of an all-girls boarding school. In a cozy, but run down New England, the knot of adolescent complexity is unraveled through the coming of age stories of four teen-age girls.

Directors:

Francesca Gregorini, Tatiana von Furstenberg

Writers:

Tatiana von Furstenberg, Francesca Gregorini

Stars:

Rooney Mara, Georgia King, Brie Larson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rooney Mara	...	Fernanda
Georgia King	...	Victoria
Brie Larson	...	Kate
Amy Ferguson	...	Lucasta
Tom Everett Scott	...	Gio
Amy Sedaris	...	Mrs. Middlewood
Chris Kattan	...	Mr. Middlewood
Shawn Pyfrom	...	Hank
Ryan Schira	...	Peter
Susan Misner	...	Roxanne (as Susie Misner)
Tara Subkoff	...	Gwen
Annika Peterson	...	Olga
Alaina Lauren Steinberg	...	Margaret (as Alaina Steinberg)
Konstantine Kakanias	...	Mr. Tependris
Lowry Marshall	...	Ms. Wallace

Storyline

Tanner Hall is a vivid peek into the private world of an all-girls boarding school. In a cozy, but run down New England, the knot of adolescent complexity is unraveled through the coming of age stories of four teen-age girls.

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Plot Keywords:

boarding school | coming of age | new england | older man younger woman relationship | teenage girl | 

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Taglines:

Lose your way. Find yourself.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content including brief nudity, and some drug use

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 October 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Os Segredos de Tanner Hall

Filming Locations:

Providence, Rhode Island, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$2,803 (USA) (9 September 2011)

Gross:

$5,005 (USA) (16 September 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tax Credit Finance, Two Prong Lesson

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Rooney Mara was cast in the film, she was still billing herself as "Tricia Mara". It was during the making of "Tanner Hall" that she considered changing her professional name to Rooney Mara, soliciting the advice of the cast and crew. She won a "Rising Star" award at the 2009 Hamptons Film Festival for her role as 'Fernanda'.

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Soundtracks

"Theme Music"
Written by Roger Neill
Performed by Heather Marie Marsden

User Reviews

Surprisingly Great - and Tastefully Stylized - Gal Drama

We, the 99.9 percent of the world that wasn't in attendance at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival, have to consider the recent DVD release of Franny Gregorini and Tatiana von Furstenberg's gal drama, Tanner Hall, the film's public debut. So, despite being a movie filmed in late 2008 and not going public until late 2011, this super stylized drama is a 2011 film, and one of the most surprisingly fulfilling watches we sat for all year.

Staffed with a cast of A-level young talent (led by Rooney Mara, Georgia King and the sizzling Brie Larson), this New England boarding school ensemble flick rolls through scenes with no clear cut story arc, instead playing through as a glimpse into the lives of a group of A-level teen girls going through the way crazy stage of puberty, full blast. Pure fire.

We see details of relationships morphing when the new girl, Victoria (King), arrives and fearlessly stomps her way into the pack or sisters. The crew's soul captain, Fernanda (Mara), is the most powerful and interesting character, and she's brought to life with grace by the Girl With the Dragon Tats herself. It's a performance that could've maybe even been considered legendary, had only Tanner Hall been treated as a major release. Mara's moves are so good that we have to assume this was the film that helped David Fincher find his new discovery.

Imagine if Sophia Coppola rewrote the Little Women script for John Hughes in the late 80s and you'll have a good idea of the haunting appeal that is Tanner Hall. As far as film art and storytelling goes, this is one of the great surprises of 2011. An incredible mix of design, writing and performance. Better late than never.