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…

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,…

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…