Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily Entertainment GuideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsCannes Film FestivalStar WarsAsian Pacific American Heritage MonthSummer Watch GuideSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

The Starling Girl

  • 2023
  • R
  • 1h 57m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
3K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,374
2,467
The Starling Girl (2023)
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.
Play trailer2:18
6 Videos
38 Photos
Drama

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.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.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.

  • Director
    • Laurel Parmet
  • Writer
    • Laurel Parmet
  • Stars
    • Eliza Scanlen
    • Lewis Pullman
    • Jimmi Simpson
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.6/10
    3K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    1,374
    2,467
    • Director
      • Laurel Parmet
    • Writer
      • Laurel Parmet
    • Stars
      • Eliza Scanlen
      • Lewis Pullman
      • Jimmi Simpson
    • 19User reviews
    • 51Critic reviews
    • 78Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 4 nominations total

    Videos6

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:18
    Official Trailer
    The Starling Girl
    Trailer 2:20
    The Starling Girl
    The Starling Girl
    Trailer 2:20
    The Starling Girl
    The Most Gripping Drama of 2023
    Clip 1:02
    The Most Gripping Drama of 2023
    The Starling Girl: Do Not Tell Your Mama
    Clip 2:01
    The Starling Girl: Do Not Tell Your Mama
    The Starling Girl: Dance Troupe
    Clip 1:05
    The Starling Girl: Dance Troupe
    The Starling Girl: It Was Probably Sick
    Clip 0:56
    The Starling Girl: It Was Probably Sick

    Photos38

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 32
    View Poster

    Top cast25

    Edit
    Eliza Scanlen
    Eliza Scanlen
    • Jem Starling
    Lewis Pullman
    Lewis Pullman
    • Owen Taylor
    Jimmi Simpson
    Jimmi Simpson
    • Paul Starling
    Wrenn Schmidt
    Wrenn Schmidt
    • Heidi Starling
    Claire Elizabeth Green
    Claire Elizabeth Green
    • Rebecca Starling
    Ellie May
    Ellie May
    • Sarah Starling
    Austin Abrams
    Austin Abrams
    • Ben Taylor
    Chris Dinner
    Chris Dinner
    • Noah Starling
    Paige Leigh Landers
    • Kelsey
    Kieran Sitawi
    Kieran Sitawi
    • Jeremy Starling
    • (as Kieran Satawi)
    Brianna Bronger
    Brianna Bronger
    • Nora
    Jessamine Burgum
    Jessamine Burgum
    • Misty Taylor
    Kyle Secor
    Kyle Secor
    • Pastor Taylor
    Andrew Riley Stephens
    Andrew Riley Stephens
    • Mike Stone
    Abby Hobek
    Abby Hobek
    • Rachel
    Ike Harrell
    • Edmond Tike
    K.J. Baker
    K.J. Baker
    • Anne Taylor
    Matthew Palmer
    • Bartender
    • Director
      • Laurel Parmet
    • Writer
      • Laurel Parmet
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews19

    6.62.9K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    8pbczf

    The Starling girl grows up

    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.
    7elision10

    Enjoyable

    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.
    10jennmlandry

    Quiet, thoughtful, reflective and powerful

    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.
    6zack_gideon

    Well acted coming of age story

    The plot in and of itself is very simple and has been done many times. Young girl, oppressed - finds her identity through trials and tribulations. It's really a story as old as time itself, so that's not the real focus of this film. The acting and character development is what to focus on while watching.

    The setting is mostly outdoor rural Kentucky, within a very strict Christian fundamentalist community, which I found unique and interesting. The focus of the film is the subtle changes in the young girl main protagonist. It's almost like watching a slow motion train wreck, for her and the immature pastor.

    Overall it's a slow burn, hard to really review. I just enjoyed the overall ambience and acting. Everything else for me I could take or leave it, but it was entertaining. 5.9/10.
    4Bleu-Le-Fluff-0969

    Beautiful camerawork but impact isn't as strong as it thinks

    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.

    More like this

    You Hurt My Feelings
    6.5
    You Hurt My Feelings
    Eileen
    5.9
    Eileen
    Earth Mama
    6.5
    Earth Mama
    Sanctuary
    6.2
    Sanctuary
    The Royal Hotel
    5.7
    The Royal Hotel
    Showing Up
    6.3
    Showing Up
    Monica
    6.3
    Monica
    A Thousand and One
    6.9
    A Thousand and One
    Water Rises
    7.7
    Water Rises
    Scrapper
    6.9
    Scrapper
    The Lesson
    6.1
    The Lesson
    Blue Jean
    6.9
    Blue Jean

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Actress Eliza Scanlen, who plays 17-year-old Jem Starling, was 24 years old when the movie was released in 2023.
    • Quotes

      Owen Taylor: What, you think God will strike you dead if you enjoy dancing? You're experiencing joy in His creation.

    • Connections
      Featured in Amanda the Jedi Show: I Watched 45 Movies in 1 Week | 'Talk to Me' and the Best Movies of Sundance 2023 Explained (2023)
    • Soundtracks
      Stained Glass
      Written by Ben Schneider

      Performed by Lord Huron and Ben Schneider

      Courtesy of Republic Records

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ18

    • How long is The Starling Girl?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 11, 2023 (Canada)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official Website
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Дівча Старлінґів
    • Filming locations
      • Kentucky, USA(on location)
    • Production companies
      • 2AM
      • Pinky Promise
      • Sons of Rigor Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $161,290
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $23,843
      • May 14, 2023
    • Gross worldwide
      • $161,290
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 57 minutes
    • Color
      • Color

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    The Starling Girl (2023)
    Top Gap
    What is the Canadian French language plot outline for The Starling Girl (2023)?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb app
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb app
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb app
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.