The Starling Girl

2023 1h 56m EN

😐

6.3

MID

★6.3TMDB · 82

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Eliza Scanlen
Jem Starling
Lewis Pullman
Owen Taylor
Wrenn Schmidt
Heidi Starling
Jimmi Simpson
Paul Starling
Claire Elizabeth Green
Rebecca Starling
Austin Abrams
Ben Taylor
Chris Dinner
Noah Starling
Paige Leigh Landers
Kelsey

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Laurel Parmet
Writers: Laurel Parmet
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 3 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Laurel Parmet, shot by Brian Lannin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Ben Schneider. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Sam Levy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Eliza Scanlen and Lewis Pullman and Wrenn Schmidt carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt21156390 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 82 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Laurel Parmet directs. Brian Lannin behind the camera. Ben Schneider scores. Sam Levy cuts. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 3 years ago.
2International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
3Directed by Laurel Parmet, shot by Brian Lannin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Ben Schneider. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Sam Levy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Eliza Scanlen and Lewis Pullman and Wrenn Schmidt carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt21156390 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 82 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
9Classified under 18 themes, including "dance", "christianity", "sin", "coming of age".

The technical file

Cinematography: Brian Lannin
Original score: Ben Schneider
Editing: Sam Levy
Production design: Mollie Wartelle
Costume design: Tora Eff
Makeup / hair: Cha'Ree Brown
Stunt coordinator: Sean Ramey
Runtime: 116 min · 1h 56m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Starling Girl (2023)

Awards

Sundance Producers Award

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Laurel Parmet

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Manuel São Bento2023-05-13
★ 7/10
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
Brent Marchant2024-01-16
★ 7/10
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.
Horseface2024-04-10
★ 9/10
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.