Movie Review: 'Ripe' (1997)

During the opening credits, we see young Rosie (Eagan) kill two beetles mating. A few minutes later, we see Rosie kill a pair of rats that are going at it. A few minutes after that, Rosie and her prettier twin, Violet (Keena), orphans on the run, wind up hiding out on a military base, where Violet starts making goo-goo eyes at a hunky handyman (Gordon Currie). Hmm ... where might this tale be headed? First-time writer-director Mo Ogrodnik's intentions are good, and it's nice to see a female coming-of-age story, but this one is chockful of wearisome freshman-comp symbolism. Both teens are named after flowers — get it? C