The prequel to Girl with Green Eyes sees Maeve Germaine and Jill Boyle take the roles of schoolgirl friends Kate and Baba. Both girls yearn to escape lives of mediocrity and routine and their boisterous antics lead to their expulsion from their convent school. Sam Neill plays the solicitor Mr Gentleman who introduces the teenage Kate to the world of adult relationships. Edna O Brien’s tale of life in rural ’50s Ireland is both charming and witty, poignantly exploring friendship, first love and hope.