78
Metascore
20 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100The PlaylistJason BaileyThe PlaylistJason BaileyThis is a movie that barely speaks above a whisper, even when its characters are howling in pain inside.
- 91ColliderMaggie BoccellaColliderMaggie BoccellaThe 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.
- 90The Hollywood ReporterJourdain SearlesThe Hollywood ReporterJourdain SearlesOne of the smartest things about Parmet’s film is the way it portrays internalized misogyny in her female characters. The Starling Girl is a complex, often disturbing portrait of the way women have been pressured to shrink themselves and pass on that shame to their daughters.
- 83IndieWireDavid EhrlichIndieWireDavid EhrlichThe 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.
- 80Screen DailyNikki BaughanScreen DailyNikki BaughanScanlen effectively embodies her character’s internal struggles, unable to vocalise her growing frustrations lest she forfeit her purity — which is seemingly her only value.
- 80Screen RantPatrice WitherspoonScreen RantPatrice WitherspoonEven 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.
- 80TheWrapKatie WalshTheWrapKatie WalshParmet’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.
- 75SlashfilmBen PearsonSlashfilmBen PearsonWhile this movie's story may sound familiar — it's about a religious teenage girl's sexual awakening in a stuffy community that would rather never address such things — its success is dependent on its execution, and writer/director Laurel Parmet, in her feature directorial debut, hits every target she aims for along the way.
- 60The GuardianAdrian HortonThe GuardianAdrian HortonThe Starling Girl, anchored by a bristling performance from the always solid Scanlen, is at its best when it hews to the combustible suspense of a teenage girl glimpsing her own instincts – for honesty, for autonomy, and most threateningly for pleasure.
- 58The Film StageMichael FrankThe Film StageMichael FrankThere’s not necessarily anything new in Parmet’s script, despite her care towards this character of Jem. The film lacks surprise, and in this case, is missing a level of engagement.