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Some of the most riveting and emotional films continue to be the classic coming-of-age tales that many in the audience can easily identify with in one way or another. Children who handle different circumstances in different eras of history, be it centuries ago or yesterday, and how that affects how they grow up and experience life as adults; it’s a universal language conveyed in countless different ways on screen that seldom goes astray, even while the characters might. A new film called The Starling Girl is about to add another tick to that genre and, per a report from Collider, a new trailer has dropped to give us a new look at the story of a young girl pushing past her religious confines to figure out who she wants to be.
The Starling Girl is a coming-of-age drama film written and directed by newcomer Laurel Parmet, who previously worked on two short films titled Spring (2017) and Kira Burning (2018). Produced by Kevin Rowe and Kara Durrett, the film premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival this past January, and later at the South by Southwest Festival in March. Critical reviews of the film so far are largely positive, citing the exceptional performances and Parmet’s directing. It currently holds a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, showing promise for its theatrical debut.
Starring in the film is Eliza Scanlen, whose previous work includes features like Babyteeth (2019), Little Women (2019), M. Night Shyamalan’s Old (2021), and HBO thriller miniseries Sharp Objects (2018). Other actors include Lewis Pullman (Top Gun: Maverick), Wrenn Schmidt (Nope), Austin Abrams (Euphoria), and Kyle Secor (Grey’s Anatomy).
The Trailer Showcases Jem Starling’s Woes and Hopes
The trailer opens with Jem Starling (Eliza Scanlen) dancing with a group of other young girls at her local church in a small Kentucky town where she lives with her fundamentalist Christian family. She does her best to embrace her religious upbringing, dressing modestly, praying regularly, and attending church. She strives to be a role model for her younger siblings and initially aspires to be a dutiful Christian while trying to follow and understand life through such a lens, and ultimately understand herself both inside and outside of religion. As she grows up she feels herself increasingly confused and constricted by nothing but criticism rather than positive reinforcement, and she finds both a passion and escape in dancing. She wants to experience more of it, to experience life outside the boundaries she feels closing in on her as she matures; boundaries that sooner expect her to forgo personal, sinful desires and “court” a husband approved by the community.
A youth pastor named Owen Taylor (Lewis Pullman) enters the picture and serves as a spiritual advisor to Starling and the others at her church. He opens a window of self-discovery for her to embark on while pushing her in both positive and negative ways. In the end, despite the fear of repercussions from her parents, Starling yearns not to throw away what she was born into in a blind pursuit of something new and different. She simply wants a “heart full of love”, beyond what religion can give her. To know what love can be in its purest, fullest form.
The Starling Girl premieres in select movie theaters on May 12th. The trailer can be viewed below.
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