12/19/2023 0 Comments Old eliza scanlenThe darkness of Owen’s desire for Jem is revealed slowly throughout the film, building to an explosive climax. They, too, feel oppressed by their strict community, but there’s a bitter edge to their dissatisfaction, with undertones of misogyny that Jem is still too young to understand. Owen and Paul are both soft-spoken men with long hair and sad eyes, quietly yearning for more than their small town can give them. In some ways, Jem’s time with Owen mirrors the small, private moments she shares with her father. For her, it doesn’t matter that he’s married all that matters is that he seems to understand her. As they begin meeting in secret, Jem is the center of attention for the first time in her life. He also feels out of place in their buttoned-up little town. Her youth pastor, Owen (Lewis Pullman), seems to understand that. She wants to move her body freely, through dance and through life. Craves too much independence.īut Jem wants love, passion and heat. Takes too much pleasure in her youthful beauty. Even her mother seems to think Jem likes herself a little too much. The other girls notice, and quietly resent her for it. Her dance moves have added flourishes, small expressions of her burgeoning sexuality. There’s a restlessness to Jem, who wants to be noticed in ways she’s told are ungodly. Scanlen portrays Jem as a girl at war with herself, trying to break free of the constraints of shame - not just when she’s alone, but in public as well. Parmet is more concerned with how shame affects the way a body moves. But while Yes God Yes’ focus is masturbation, The Starling Girl is a bit more abstract. While other girls explore sex and romance without the fear of fiery damnation, Maine and Parmet’s heroines are made to feel like pleasure is inherently sinful. This film, much like Karen Maine’s underrated debut from a few years ago, Yes God Yes, grapples with the conflict Christian girls feel when acknowledging their own sexuality. To want anything else is to be overtaken by the grip of Satan. Life on Earth is about the fate of one’s immortal soul. But in the center of it all is the church: an all-knowing, all-seeing entity that must be feared and respected, with the penalty of being turned away at the gates of Heaven. For girls in these communities, life is about obeying their parents until the time comes for authority to hand power over to their husbands. Long skirts, sweaters even when it’s hot, long hair, no make-up, a demure demeanor. Modesty is taught to young girls early, with emphasis on their bodies being covered at all times. In these communities, the Bible is interpreted literally, with rigid gender roles and customs that favor purity over all else. For many, especially in the South, Christianity isn’t just a religion it’s a way of life.
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