In a small town in England, two teenage girls experience the first throes of romantic love and disenchantment, fueled by energetic passion and youthful nonconformity. A beautiful young artist shares an apartment with her born-again older brother, who converts the family owned pub downstairs into a religious mission to save the souls of townsfolk. On the outskirts of town a wealthy and talented young cellist is at home from boarding school. When these three elements cross, religiosity and truthfulness are put to the test.

Mona (Nathalie Press) pushes her motor less Honda scooter up countryside hills so she can coast downhill as far as she can later on. Her plan is to get a motor "next week." After a fall, along the roadside, Mona, temporarily disoriented, looks up and sees Tamsin (Emily Blunt) on horseback, peering down at her. This is symbolic of the relationship that will develop. They strike up a conversation, each obviously curious about the other. Tamsin tells Mona that she was expelled from boarding school because she’s a bad influence on others. Mona and her brother Phil (Paddy Considine of "In America" and "Cinderella Man") own a pub in town called the Swan, now, of course, a holy mission. Mona makes fun of her own name and she implies a connection to Mona Lisa, since she loves to paint. We get the feeling that these two young women think they are savvy and quite mature. They part company in front of Tamsin’s country estate, where she invites Mona to come for a visit some time.

Mona decides to visit Tamsin, as she’s depressed over being dumped by her married boyfriend Ricky (Dean Andrews). After getting shagged from the rear in the rear seat of his car (pun intended), Mona wants him to take her out to a pubic place. Ricky unceremoniously tells her that she has served his purpose and their relationship is over. She does have enough pride to make the long walk home rather than ride with such a pig.

After his latest stint in prison, Mona’s brother Phil has found Christ and plans to build a cross on the hill outside of town. He’s like an evangelist, persuading others to follow him and literally carry the cross.

We sense that Tamsin has a hidden agenda. It simply might be that like Mona she needs to connect with someone. Or maybe this is a dalliance, and she is willing to play games to make the summer both interesting and enlightening for her. You can be the judge of that by the time the end credits roll.

Tamsin gives Mona a gentle, sensual kiss and one might think the story has a lesbian message about sexual identity. Don’t take that bait. Later, Tamsin says to Mona, "If you ever leave me, I’ll kill you," to which Mona replies the same and adds, "and I’ll kill myself."

Tamsin is curious about Phil, and obviously attracted to him, as she asks probing questions, as the crowd gathers on the hill during the cross-raising ceremony. Phil’s moment of truth arrives when he goes to Tamsin’s home looking for Mona, and is tested in ways that he does not expect. He saw the bait when the two women were sunbathing but did not know the hook had already been set.

The film offers more than the titillating exploration and flirtation between Mona and Tamsin, or the urgency that Phil has to build his cross. It’s that and more. The acting is fine and the film is easy to watch and fun to follow. We often see in others what we wish to see, and not surprisingly, we camouflage our emotions and actions to fit situations as well.

Some writer-directors have the skills of a poet, a storyteller and know how to convey messages on the big screen that make you question your core values and assumptions. Paul Pavlikovsky is such a person. His debut feature film, "Last Resort" (which we both enjoyed) tells a story that calls for serious contemplation but unfolds in an environment in which you are comfortable, an amusement park. The setting here is familiar to us because of how the people act. What we know is why we do things, if we care to admit it, but understanding why others do what they do is another matter. Things happen other than what we plan or have reason to expect.

This rich coming of age film, aimed at young women, is much edgier than "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants," in more than just its R rating. It reveals sides of our nature that some of us would rather the world not see. Newcomers Natalie Press and Emily Blunt are each luminous in both performances and appearance. We’re certainly looking forward to their next roles.