The Guardian

Mermaids: Winona Ryder and Cher sparkle in underappreciated 1990s coming-of-age gem

The mother-daughter chemistry crackles between the two female leads in this film about growing up, no matter your age
Bob Hoskins, Cher, Christina Ricci and Winona Ryder in Mermaids. Photograph: Moviestore Collection Ltd/Alamy

Mermaids is a coming-of-age tale with a difference. Set in small-town America in 1963, it tells the story of the nomadic Flax family: young single mother Rachel (Cher), nine-year-old water-baby Kate (Christina Ricci) and 15-year-old Charlotte (Winona Ryder), who is grappling with the things teenagers grapple with – identity, sexuality, shoes – as she searches for herself and her place in the world. But in a twist on the genre, Rachel, who was only 16 when she had Charlotte, is inching towards her own enlightenment. Both mother

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