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The Starling Girl (Open Captions)

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. (R, 116 min.)
This is an Open Captions screening.

Showtimes

Wednesday, June 7, 2023

3:30 PM

Wednesday, June 14, 2023

2:00 PM

This is an Open Captions screening. Seventeen-year-old Jem Starling struggles to define her place within her fundamentalist Christian community in rural Kentucky. Even her greatest joy of dancing with the church group is tempered by worry that her actions are sinful and she is caught between a burgeoning awareness of her own sexuality and her religious devotion. With the return of Owen, an enigmatic youth pastor, Jem soon finds herself attracted to his worldliness and charm. Slowly, he draws her into a dangerous relationship that could upend their entire community. [Bleecker Street]

Starring: Eliza Scanlen, Lewis Pullman, Jimmi Simpson, Wrenn Schmidt, Clarie Elizabeth Green, Ellie May
Director: Laurel Parmet
Genre: Drama

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"An insightful portrait of coming of age Christian."

— Jourdain Searles, Hollywood Reporter

"Scanlen’s work here is steeped in the feeling of a real-life being lived right in front of you."

— Jason Bailey, The Playlist

"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."

— David Ehrlich, IndieWire

"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."

— Katie Walsh, TheWrap

"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."

— Patrice Witherspoon, Screen Rant

"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."

— Maggie Boccella, Collider

"The language and strictures of their religious community are perfectly rendered by writer and director Laurel Parmet, who captures the complicated interplay of power and immaturity that can blossom in isolated communities."

— Alissa Wilkinson, Vox