From “Saved!” to “The Miseducation of Cameron Post,” Sundance movies tend to paint fundamentalist Christians as severe, cult-like zealots, hellbent on brainwashing the next generation. While such p…
Set in a small Kentucky town where morality is strictly enforced, Parmet’s promising, evenhanded debut focuses on a religious teen who’s never had reason to question her faith, until a crush on her handsome youth pastor awakens her sexuality and scandalizes the community. For the adults in this repressive rural enclave, organized religion seems to provide the discipline and structure they seek. But for 17-year-old Jem Starling, their values are starting feel like a straitjacket.
In an early scene, Ben’s mother approaches Jem after the dance performance she’s given in church and expresses her concern. Jem’s brassiere was visible through her blouse, she says, and such things pose an inappropriate distraction for the men during worship. Suddenly self-conscious, Jem appears to shrink into herself, like Eve in the Garden of Eden, discovering the shame of her own body.
“The Starling Girl” is rigorously realistic, without fantasies or flashbacks, but on one point, there can be little doubt: After dance practice one afternoon, she deflates the tire on her bicycle so Owen will be obliged to give her a ride. It’s not long before they’re making out and more. Owen is married with a pregnant wife, but he finds Jem irresistible.
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