The Starling Girl

6.4

2023

1h 56m

Drama

Director: Laurel Parmet

Watch on Netflix

Overview

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.

Trailer

Official Trailer Official

Cast

Jem Starling

Eliza Scanlen

Jem Starling

Owen Taylor

Lewis Pullman

Owen Taylor

Heidi Starling

Wrenn Schmidt

Heidi Starling

Paul Starling

Jimmi Simpson

Paul Starling

Rebecca Starling

Claire Elizabeth Green

Rebecca Starling

Ben Taylor

Austin Abrams

Ben Taylor

Noah Starling

Chris Dinner

Noah Starling

Kelsey

Paige Leigh Landers

Kelsey

Jeremy Starling

Kieran Sitawi

Jeremy Starling

Misty Taylor

Jessamine Burgum

Misty Taylor

Pastor Taylor

Kyle Secor

Pastor Taylor

Mike Stone

Andrew Riley Stephens

Mike Stone

Reviews

Manuel São Bento

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://thatshelf.com/the-starling-girl-review/ "The Starling Girl addresses the impact of religion on young women's lives, particularly tackling how sexuality, love, freedom, and personal identity relate to fundamentalist pedagogy. A solid directorial debut by Laurel Parmet, deeply exploring a self-discovery arc by a compelling protagonist who represents countless women taught and forced to hide and fear much of what defines them as human beings with feelings, desires, and dreams. An empowering, insightful story elevated by an underappreciated cast, including a career-best performance from Eliza Scanlen." Rating: B

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Brent Marchant

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.

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Horseface

Wonderful. Almost perfect. A gripping and moving story, small and intimate in style, but colossal in impact. Great performances all round, particularly the searing one by Eliza Scanlen, whom I hadn't heard of before, but I'll be looking forward to seeing her in something else. Strange how it's often the movies I keep postponing for later because I think they'll be boring that end up being the most enthralling and entertaining.

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