The Starling Girl‘s most direct criticism of these fundamentalists is that they are far less concerned with living according to Christian teaching and philosophy than with appearing to do so in a kind of ongoing intracommunity competition.

| Oct 2, 2024

Watching “The Starling Girl” is scarier than watching any horror movie.

| May 25, 2024

Laurel Parmet’s low-budget drama features yet another terrific performance from Eliza Scanlen...

| Mar 18, 2024

Parmet’s conceit is naturally a little disturbing and no doubt considered controversial by some, but she juggles it well, never becoming too prurient or sensationalist, but also not condoning...

| Original Score: 4/5 | Mar 1, 2024

The Starling Girl’s thoughtfulness and lingering optimism toward a story that is predictably sorrowful is a necessary balance.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Nov 17, 2023

The Starling Girl is a coming-of-age movie that doesn’t explore the teenager’s journey of adolescence; instead, it is a disturbing portrait of women who have internalised misogyny and the many ways in which women are conditioned to behave a certain way.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Sep 8, 2023

Few coming-of-age stories are without some form conflict defining the protagonist; but Parmet’s film allows Jem to reach a state of grace of which she was always deserving – of which so many young women are deserving.

| Sep 6, 2023

A piercing story of religious trauma told with expert nuance by a one-to-watch director and a tour-de-force lead... Yet more compelling evidence — as if we needed it — that you should never bet against an Eliza Scanlen performance.

| Original Score: 80/100 | Jul 28, 2023

By no means is The Starling Girl an enjoyable watch, in the sense that its subject matter is difficult to witness. In terms of filmmaking prowess, it’s shocking that this is writer/director Parmet’s feature-length debut.

| Jul 25, 2023

The themes, emphasizing the clash between feelings and values, will resonate with free spirited individuals as much as it will upset fanatical religious devotees.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jul 24, 2023

An inventive plot plus a star making turn by Eliza Scanlon makes this solid entertainment.

| Original Score: 7/10 | Jul 24, 2023

The Starling Girl explores the dichotomy of sinner and saint and the entanglements that occur when intense love takes hold.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Jul 22, 2023

In this day, one almost hates to saddle a feature-film debut with too-effusive praise because it is the nature of the Internet to push back on anything enthusiastic. But, hey, bravas to Parmet and star Eliza Scanlen.

| Original Score: 4/4 | Jul 17, 2023

The bizarre love triangle is a bit pat and convenient, a case of a writer being too cute. But it’s one of the few flaws in a film unafraid to stretch the parameters of the trite coming-of-age formula.

| Original Score: B+ | Jul 1, 2023

Eliza Scanlen is superb in a moving performance that lingers long after leaving the theater. Betrayal and liberation appear in the final act which feels a bit rushed and sensational, but it left me longing for more.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Jun 3, 2023

The Starling Girl is not a fun film. And Parmet’s exploration of the movie’s central theme isn’t necessarily groundbreaking. But it is a rich film, and a dark one, and one that makes a point worth making.

| Jun 2, 2023

Offering perhaps the most applicable commentary on where we seem to be headed...

| Jun 2, 2023

Every film festival has a description featuring burgeoning sexuality and/or the perils of religion. The Starling Girl is just another film meeting that quota but, ironically, offers its characters nothing new to experience.

| Original Score: 1.5/4 | Jun 1, 2023

It’s a sensitive, observant film – a coming-of-age story told from a fresh perspective.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | May 28, 2023

A low-key slow burn, but filled with a distressing amount of truth.

| Original Score: 3/4 | May 26, 2023