The Starling Girl

From earlier this year comes this account of a fundamentalist girl's, played by Little Women's Eliza Scanlen, struggle to maintain her faith. Opening up on a dance performance in front of their congregation, Scanlen's immediately reprimanded for having her bra showing through her dance top. We then go into her family life where her brethren are many & her parents, For All Mankind Wren Schmidt & Jimmi Simpson, rule the roost w/iron fists. Into this dynamic comes a new visitor in the form of the pastor's, Homicide's Kyle Secor, son, Lewis Pullman, which raises Scanlen's ardor even though he's already married & his wife is pregnant. Simpson, who used to be in a 'regular' band, falls off the wagon due to his own pressures which when the reveal comes about Pullman & Scanlen's clutch prompts the parents to force her to quit the dance troupe which puts the couple in panic mode (Pullman declares his separation from his wife) & running off happily into the sunset or will they? Writer/director Laurel Parmet captures a potent tale of the flyover states where maybe the standard trajectory of one's community may not be for all w/Scanlen, who continues to impress in her performances (check her out in the HBO limited series Sharp Objects), who carries the weight of the narrative on her ample shoulders abetted by strong support from the other players.

What's required to attain acceptance from others? That's a tricky question, especially for those who are going through the coming of age process. It can be even more confounding for those who are part of a community that demands rigid conformity on an array of fronts. So it is for 17-year-old Jem Starling (Eliza Scanlen), a questioning young woman from a small Kentucky fundamentalist community. She wants to fit in, but she also endeavors to know herself, a quest that carries with it some puzzling yet innate contradictions, many of which are brought front and center when she begins to develop feelings for her married youth pastor (Lewis Pullman), a connection based on emotions that turn out to be mutual. But what is Jem to do - follow her heart or squelch the burgeoning passions surfacing within her, both romantically and in her other secular interests? That's the story that plays out as she attempts to get in touch with her inner being. However, is she seeking to let her true self emerge, or is she succumbing to the wicked manipulations of Satan, as her family and fellow parishioners try to convince her? Independent Spirit Award-nominated writer-director Laurel Parmet's debut feature deftly handles these themes, even if they seem a little predictable, familiar and stretched out at times. The picture's surprisingly inconsistent cinematography sometimes hampers the flow of the narrative, too, with some scenes that are beautifully shot and others that are needlessly and almost indecipherably dark (atmosphere is one thing, but the patent mishandling of this element is something else entirely). Nevertheless, these shortcomings are aptly covered by the fine performances of the film's stellar cast, especially Scanlan, Pullman, and Jimmi Simpson and Wrenn Schmidt as Jem's dysfunctional parents. "The Starling Girl" may not be groundbreakingly original, but it reminds us of the importance of being ourselves, no matter what that might entail - and the cost that can come from failing to follow our hearts.

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.

Saw this at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival

"The Starling Girl" is a movie about 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. It clears the director is trying her best to capture the struggles and dark sides of the Christian fundamentalist community but the film doesn't really have a strong impact as it thinks it does due to the storyline being predictable and characters that weren't fully investable.

Throughout, the production and camerawork is pretty good as it helps to bring the settling of isolation and control throughout the main characters environment. The performance from Eliza Scanlen is pretty great and there are some narrative aspects that were pretty interesting. Unfortunately, the positive aspects were overshadowed with a story that has a very predictable setting and characters that aren't interesting to care for.

The characters felt wooden to the point it was difficult to really care much about them. The pacing struggles, some of the other performances were really bad and the dialogue moments felt like they were written from a poor student project at times.

There is a lot of potential that is missed and I really do feel like this movie would have been an pretty good and be considered a hidden gem. But it didn't work as well.

Rating: C.

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.