The Starling Girl
The Starling Girl is a 2023 American coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Laurel Parmet in her feature directorial debut. Starring Eliza Scanlen, Lewis Pullman, Jimmi Simpson, Wrenn Schmidt, and Austin Abrams, the film follows a 17-year-old girl struggling to find her place in the world after growing up in a fundamentalist Christian community in Kentucky. The Starling Girl premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2023, where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize. The film was theatrically released in the United States on May 12, 2023, to mostly positive reviews. Plot Jem Starling is a 17-year-old girl raised in a fundamentalist Christian community in Kentucky. Her parents Paul and Heidi expect Jem to be a model Christian for her four younger siblings. Jem's age necessitates that she begin the tradition of courting, but she is more interested in dance as a member of her church’s dance troupe. Owen, the pastor’s 28-year-old son, has just returned to the community from doing missionary work with his wife in Puerto Rico. When Jem learns the troupe might disband due to not having a leader, she asks Owen, who is in charge of church programs, if she can