The Starling Girl

This coming-of-age drama follows Jem Starling as she becomes an adult--or at least starts to become an adult. It explores the conflict between Jem's growing awareness of her body and its needs and the beliefs of the fundamentalist church that plays a large part in her life and her family's life. Her family is also a source of conflict: before his conversion, her father had been a musician with a steady gig at a bar in Memphis, and the temptations of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll return after the suicide of one of his former band members. What music is for her father, dance is for Jem and she contrives to lead the church's dance troupe by charming Owen, the church's youth pastor who has just returned from Puerto Rico. Eventually, Owen and Jem begin an affair that is transgressive in almost every possible way: Owen is married, he is the brother of Ben, who is officially courting Jem, and both Owen and Ben are the sons of the church's pastor. The ending is pleasantly ambiguous: we see that Jem follows her powerful need to know about the world and what her place in it ought to be, but not exactly where that takes her.

The cast is very good and Eliza Scanlen, who is in almost every scene, makes a good Jem. Wrenn Schmidt is also excellent as Heidi, Jem's mother who is trying to hold a large family together while her husband and her eldest daughter lose their minds. For many viewers, a fundamentalist church in Kentucky might seem an 'exotic' milieu, but the film doesn't treat its characters like the subjects of an ethnographic expedition. The first half of the film sets the scene at a leisurely pace, but tensions build in the second half as we wonder when the lovers will be discovered and what the consequences will be.

This movie broke me. Maybe you need to personally relate to the content, but the way in which the relationship between Jem and Own is crafted is nuanced and relatable. The trauma that comes with religious upbringing is powerfully displayed in this movie. In the hands of the screenwriter, director and actors it is deftly dealt with, without forcing an agenda down your throat one way or the other. Pullman and Scanlen achieve the necessary chemistry that you're wholly along for the journey and seem to understand both sides, even if there is a clear villain in this tale. This movie had me thinking about it nonstop for a week now...don't know what my entire conclusion is yet, but I'm so glad it was made.

This is a story about a young woman who grows up in a tightly-knit, restrictive religious community who ultimately has to choose between sticking with her faith and family, versus breaking away and becoming her true self. It's an old story (although more often told about a young man). But the telling here is heartfelt, sympathetic and often surprising. Eliza Scanlen is outstanding as the protagonist Jem Starling--she reminds me of a young Sissy Spacek.

Christian conservatives are likely to dislike this film, and I can see that some of them are giving it extremely low ratings to dampen its appeal. While I can't speak from their point of view, I didn't feel that this film mocked religion. This is not the kind of on-the-nose, cartoon satire of religion often offered by Hollywood.

I grew up in a Christian home so I can relate to these characters here. Feelings wandering, conflicting when it comes to what's right and wrong. I have no doubts there will be Christians seeking everyone to avoid this near masterpiece of film. It struck all the right cords. It's a very impressive debut for this new director. I wish more first time filmmakers made films this great but they come few and far between. I can see this one becoming an awards contender perhaps if it doesn't stir up too much controversy but I doubt that will happen. This one is likely to remain a hidden gem but it deserves a watch at least once especially for the incredible performances all around, the music, the atmosphere and cinematography are all on point here. Not sure entirely what kept this from being a perfect film but it almost reaches that. All in all though this is definitely one of the years best so far and is worth seeking out for film lovers and those who struggle with beliefs in religion.

I always suspect in a movie about conservative Christians they are going to be portrayed as small-minded and hypocritical, and that their faith is a lie. And my expectations were not entirely dashed in this film. But there's enough sensitivity and nuance here that I felt like there were sufficient characters, including the lead, who were honestly wrestling with their faith, and the temptations of the secular world. The plot, if somewhat predictable, kept this viewer interested,. The lead was a good combination of the strong, young adult, and the childhood she was just leaving. I certainly recommend watching it at the free Kanopy service.