The Starling Girl

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYWlAiFypwo

R ‧ 2023 ‧ Drama ‧ 1h 57min

17-year-old Jem Starling struggles with her place within her Christian fundamentalist community. But everything changes when her magnetic youth pastor Owen returns to their church.

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ABOUT

The Starling Girl is a 2023 American coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Laurel Parmet in her feature directorial debut. Starring Eliza Scanlen, Lewis Pullman, Jimmi Simpson, Wrenn Schmidt, and Austin Abrams, the film follows Jemima "Jem" Starling (Scanlen), a 17-year-old girl struggling to find her place within her Christian fundamentalist community in Kentucky.
The Starling Girl premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2023, where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize, and was theatrically released in the United States on May 12, 2023. Despite underperforming commercially, the film received critical acclaim, with particular praise for the performances of the cast and Parmet's direction. At the 39th Independent Spirit Awards, Parmet received a nomination for Best First Screenplay.

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CREDITS

Director

Laurel Parmet

Writer

Laurel Parmet

Stars

Eliza Scanlen, Lewis Pullman, Jimmi Simpson

Companies

2AM, Pinky Promise, Sons of Rigor Films

DETAILS

Released

2023-07-11

Runtime

1h 57min

Rating

Genres

Drama

CONTEXT

Countries

USA

Languages

English

Awards

Awards, 1 win & 4 nominations

Keywords

christian fundamentalism,coming of age,youth pastor,adult teenager relationship,youth group

CAST

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PHOTO GALLERY

RATINGS

6.7/10

78%

6.5/10

92%

6.2/10

CRITICS REVIEWS

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The PlaylistJason Bailey
“This is a movie that barely speaks above a whisper, even when its characters are howling in pain inside.”

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ColliderMaggie Boccella
“The Starling Girl is steeped with empathy, not just for Jem, but for every young woman, religious or not, who struggles to know herself and gives in to the desire to be seen, no matter the voyeur — just to feel alive, and like they matter.”

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The Hollywood ReporterJourdain Searles
“One of the smartest things about Parmet’s film is the way it portrays internalized misogyny in her female characters. The Starling Girl is a complex, often disturbing portrait of the way women have been pressured to shrink themselves and pass on that shame to their daughters.”

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IndieWireDavid Ehrlich
“The power of this sensitive and devilishly detailed coming-of-age drama is rooted in the friction that it finds between biblical paternalism and modern personhood.”

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Screen DailyNikki Baughan
“Scanlen effectively embodies her character’s internal struggles, unable to vocalise her growing frustrations lest she forfeit her purity — which is seemingly her only value.”

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Screen RantPatrice Witherspoon
“Even in the most discomforting moments, director Parmet finds a way to delicately balance morally complex issues. The Starling Girl, even with its unsettling themes about abuse, is a triumphant effort about finding love within.”

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TheWrapKatie Walsh
“Parmet’s strong script and surety behind the camera navigate the audience through this complicated story of religion and sexuality, patriarchy and power, brought to eerily accurate life by the ensemble of excellent actors.”

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SlashfilmBen Pearson
“While this movie's story may sound familiar — it's about a religious teenage girl's sexual awakening in a stuffy community that would rather never address such things — its success is dependent on its execution, and writer/director Laurel Parmet, in her feature directorial debut, hits every target she aims for along the way.”

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The GuardianAdrian Horton
“The Starling Girl, anchored by a bristling performance from the always solid Scanlen, is at its best when it hews to the combustible suspense of a teenage girl glimpsing her own instincts – for honesty, for autonomy, and most threateningly for pleasure.”

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The Film StageMichael Frank
“There’s not necessarily anything new in Parmet’s script, despite her care towards this character of Jem. The film lacks surprise, and in this case, is missing a level of engagement.”