The Starling Girl
One thing that social media has helped me really understand is the way in which some churches have scarred congregants because of puritanical thinking that stunts growth. I left behind organized religion long ago, and I know many people gain value from it, but the ego of some adults, and pastors (or ministers, or priests) to think they speak for God is only going to do harm to people, not good. In “The Starling Girl,” writer-director Laurel Parmet looks at a young woman who’s trying to figure herself out at 17, and what happens when her base desires get in the way of the faith she’s brought up in. As a coming-of-age story, it’s very familiar; as a look at how dogmatic religious values can ruin lives, it’s a cut above.
When the film begins, Jem Starling (Eliza Scanlen) is content with her life, and her family, and her faith. She loves dancing for the church, and hopes to continue doing so. The pastor’s eldest son, Owen (Lewis Pullman), returns with his wife from a mission in Puerto Rico, and takes up the youth activities. Owen seems more worldly than the rest of the church, and even when Jem’s parents (Wrenn Schmidt and Jimmi Simpson) try to nudge her into a courtship with Owen’s younger brother, Ben (Austin Abrams), her interests lie more with Owen. Jem finds herself conflicted with her feelings as her sexuality begins to have her curious, and it bleeds into her dance, which she continues when the adult coordinator leaves. A tragedy will also send her family spiraling when her father’s grief leads to toxic behavior.
As “The Starling Girl” played out, I found myself reminded of the film, “Palm Trees and Power Lines,” which looked at a lonely teenage girl who was groomed for sexual exploitation by a much older man she connected with. I do not think Owen’s intentions are as insidious as that, but as he starts to realize Jem’s feelings for him, he certainly exploits them through the cover of an unhappy marriage, and uses her faith and sense of uncertainty in her direction in life to see it as “God’s plan.” Many people are fortunate to have religious leaders whom genuinely wish to nurture their faith- I am one of them; I just wasn’t engaged when I was younger- but one of the things I find so fascinating about Parmet’s film is that she, very subtlety, shows the ways in which even true believers can have their faith used against them in ways that make them forget how difficult it is to be human when tragedy strikes. This is never clearer than it is with Paul, Jem’s father, who loses a good friend of his. They used to play music together, and every moment that goes by you feel Paul’s decent into sadness and depression even more. He plays one of their songs for Jem, and she had no idea her father had this side to him, but it feels too late for them to truly bond over a shared love. While Scanlen delivers the best performance of the film, I think Simpson might be the one that lingers, a fragile portrait of humanity that bursts through the façade of forced faith; even his wife, played by Schmidt, seems to have less sympathy for him than she should, mainly because he’s using alcohol to dull the pain, which is not a righteous thing to do.
I love the title of this film. In a church like this, people who stray from the rigid path to God the pastor- and subsequently, the congregation- follow are no longer seen as individuals, but as parables to be taught. A young woman like Jem- whom we’ve seen legitimately struggle with her emotions, and faith, through the course of the film- whose difficulties lead to bad decisions (albeit ones which do fall under the realm of sins, by the church) is now a cautionary tale that can be used to steer other girls- like her sisters- in the right path. In the end- which is away from everyone else’s eyes- she makes the first decision for herself that feels genuine, and closer to a real act of faith than anything we’ve seen up to that point. She’s arguably closer to God at that moment than any other time we’ve seen in the film. Her progression to that moment makes “The Starling Girl” a rich, emotional watch.
