Foxfire is a 1996 American indie drama film adapted from Joyce Carol Oates' novel Foxfire Confessions Of A Girl Gang, directed by Annette Haywood-Carter and starring Hedy Burress, Angelina Jolie, Jenny Lewis, Jenny Shimizu and Sarah Rosenberg.
Five high school girls turn the tables on a teacher who makes sexual advances, but the principal punishes them instead. In order to get her confiscated art supplies, Maddie Wirtz (Burress) and her new friends, including the fearless Legs (Jolie) and the disturbed Goldie (Shimizu), sneak into the school, leading to an accidental fire. The incident cements the girls' friendship, but attacks by the football team and their own personal demons threaten to pull the group apart.
Not to be confused with Firefox.
This film contains examples of:
- Abusive Parents: Legs and Maddie learn that Goldie's father physically abuses her.
- Attempted Rape: The boys from school attempted to rape one of the girls as "payback" for what they did to their teacher, causing Legs and the other girls to intervene.
- Bald Head of Toughness: Goldie has a shaved head, in keeping with an overall "butch" look, likely to code her as lesbian (she's not explicitly here, unlike the book).
- Bittersweet Ending: Maddie and Legs part ways but Maddie finishes high school and goes into college as an art student.
- Butch Lesbian: Legs is indicated to be one, sporting short hair and having masculine clothing. Goldie in the book is a lesbian as well, but her sexual orientation isn't specified in the film (although implied as she retains this look).
- But Now I Must Go: Legs and Maddie part ways at the end and Maddie watches as Legs catches a truck ride out of town.
- Crime of Self-Defense: Legs is imprisoned for stopping the jocks kidnapping Maddie intending to rape her, since they (and one's girlfriend) lied, saying this was an unprovoked attack by her. She's released after the girl comes clean to the judge in guilt over it.
- Disproportionate Retribution: The girls beat up their teacher who was harassing them and tell the principal about his crime, only to get punished instead.
- Descent into Addiction: The girls discover Goldie has become addicted to heroin in order to cope with their ordeal and Legs' being imprisoned.
- The Dog Bites Back: After facing sexual assault from their teacher and with some help from Legs, the girls fight back and overpower him.
- Hide Your Lesbians: Legs being lesbian is only said by Maddie once (though the word isn't used) and otherwise isn't shown (aside from possibly the suggestive tattooing scene and her stereotypical "butch" look). Goldie is lesbian in the book, but here her sexuality doesn't come up (although she also gets coded this way with butch looks).
- I Just Shot Marvin in the Face: During a panic, the girls accidentally shoot Goldie's father in the shoulder.
- Lady Looks Like a Dude: Legs gets mistaken for a boy from afar by a school janitor complaining why isn't "he" in class.
- Ms. Fanservice: Legs gets topless to show her tattoo, then Maddie and Goldie do too so she can give them the same one (none are even wearing bras). The rest of the girls also get them but keep their bras on. It's rather suggestive, but nothing more comes of it.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Legs is only called her legal name once, while in court.
