The Diary of a Teenage Girl

"I had sex today. Holy sh--!" Minnie (Bel Powley)

If you have a daughter around 15, may I suggest you see The Prophet, a wispy cartoon about a philosopher and his devoted town, because Diary of a Teen Age Girl will set you off balance for days. Oh, although it has cartoons, they include flaccid and erect penises. Still in all, it can be an amusing insight into a teen's secret life, and by extension, all teens'.

Minnie, a San-Francisco teen having an affair with her mom's (Kristen Wiig) vacuous35-year old lover, Monroe (Alexander Skarsgard), is sexually alert and ready. Although her affair causes her some trauma as she faces the emotional consequences, she is less affected by the other casual liaisons of all kinds in her relentless search to emulate the adults in her life but only to find the search as hollow as she sees it in them.

Her idol is cartoonist Aline Kominsky, whose work is similar to Minnie's. The insertion of graphic, amusing cartoons helps relieve the depressing descent of Minnie into rampant sex with diminishing returns. As a true coming-of-age film, Diary of a teen age Girl is more about the girl morphing into a woman (she has the body but not the sensibility) through some dark but sometimes humorous encounters.

As a father of five daughters, I shuddered at some of the all-to-real encounters, but, hey, the film is about the '70's in San Francisco when anything goes. If you strip away the liberal life style, the issues for a teen remain universal: How much can you rely on your parents for guidance? Do adults exploit children? Is same sex sex a kick? Do drugs help? Another question might be asked: Why does Monroe not go to jail for statuary rape? Answer: This film is a fantasy of a teen's first sex, and the rude outside world need not apply to be a part. It's all a cartoon dream and humorous if you take it the right way.

In many ways a period piece, this indie film captures a very special time period in San Francisco, a time when counterculture flourished and withered, people experimented and abused all kinds of substances, and teen artist Minnie experiences a lot of firsts, in the eternal search for acceptance, love, and a sense of purpose.

In spite of a brave, earnest, and raw performance by a deliberately exposed Bel Powley, very believable as a teenager in the aforementioned period, and of a subtle, nuanced and understatedly magnetic one by the great Alexander Skarsgård, this movie falls short because its characters are sadly just a bit too immature, selfish, and unlikable.

While that sounds very much like the typical description of the stereotypical youth, it remains nonetheless a major fault in the script how unsympathetic Minnie is throughout, with no real point of self-reflection or regrets over some of her actions, refusing to deal with the consequences of even her more heinous ones.

Surrounded by egotistical, likewise emotionally stunted, at times manipulative adults, it may be no wonder that the main character is unable to learn or grow much, but the level of navel-gazing is still a bit too grating, with the protagonist of this clearly autobiographical story experiencing life events without any sort of moral compass whatsoever.

The film drags towards the end, perhaps because of the fragmented, increasingly hazy way the story is told as the movie progresses, but also because by then we care very little about the fate of the different characters. Though this intimate film does hit some high notes in terms of mood, acting, and cinematography, the end result is unsatisfying.

(+) The reconstruction of 70's San Francisco is very well done. Some of the scenes really hit the point. Mood and color palette also well done.

(-) Unsympathetic characters, starting with the amoral, self- centered protagonist, doom the movie.

An honest, unfiltered & nonjudgmental coming of age drama about a young woman's sexual endeavours, The Diary of a Teenage Girl is a nicely crafted, sensibly narrated & wonderfully performed cinema that's highly bohemian in nature, emanates a psychedelic vibe from start to finish & is further uplifted by its well-put together cast.

Based on the graphic novel of the same name, the story of The Diary of a Teenager is set in San Francisco during the 1970s and concerns Minnie, a 15-year old aspiring cartoonist who in the wake of her sexuality begins a relationship with her mother's boyfriend. However, her longing for love & acceptance soon sets her on a path to much bolder adventures.

Written & directed by Marielle Heller in what is her filmmaking debut, The Diary of a Teenage Girl is oddly stylish, surreal & provocative in depicting the sexual & artistic awakening of its protagonist and captures the highs & lows of adolescent life with utmost sincerity. Heller's direction is as good as her screenplay, and it's refreshing to see the story being told from a girl's perspective.

Production design team does a good job in replicating the 1970s setting, Cinematography makes splendid use of its camera & bright colour tones to further enhance its images, and Editing is finely carried out while the music fits its scene. Coming to the performances, Bel Powley delivers a terrific performance and is brilliantly supported by Alexander Skarsgård, Kristen Wiig & others.

On an overall scale, The Diary of a Teenage Girl is a bold example of its genre that attempts to capture the turmoil of teenage years without sugarcoating any of it, is capable of leaving a few viewers squirming on their seats with its explicit nature, and thanks to its playful tone & sensible handling of its characters, is a welcome entry in the coming-of-age filmmaking landscape. Definitely worth a shot.

I saw the movie that at the New Directors/New Films film festival in New York in March 2015. I read Phoebe Gloeckner's graphic novel that the film was based on. Although I did enjoy the book, I did struggle with the characters and a lot of the things the characters were doing, but I couldn't wait to read it every night. I loved the way she told the story of a 15-year-old girl that has just started an affair with her mother's boyfriend in 1970's San Francisco.

I was drawn to read the book and see the movie because I am a huge Alexander Skarsgård fan and I love to support his films. His character, Monroe Rutherford, seemed like a total jerk in the book. Alex's take on the character was much sweeter. Sure, the content is the same, but the characters in the movie (ALL of the characters) seemed much more likable in the movie. It was hard to see why Minnie would be so into Monroe in the book, but it is quite evident in the movie. Besides Alex's handsome good looks, his Monroe is a happy-go-lucky guy that shows he has a heart. (Very caring) Not that I think that having an affair with your girlfriend's 15-year-old daughter is a good thing or appropriate, you can see how a situation like this could happen (especially in that household). The fact that he could take a character like Monroe and make him so likable, convinces me that this is his best performance to date.

Minnie is the kind of girl that loves to be touched and show affection. She is a highly talented girl that has so much going on around her, and she is receptive to take it all in. I'm happy to see the way that the director/screenplay writer Marielle Heller told her story. I had heard some people said there were cringe-worthy scenes, but I didn't feel that way.

Sure there are plenty of sex and drug scenes in the movie but they are done fairly quickly and with respect and are essential to the story. There is humor throughout and lots of animation in the style of Phoebe Gloeckner and Aline Kominsky.

As I said earlier, I didn't care for the characters in the book as much as I did in the film. Bel Powley is SUPERB as Minnie (you never do detect her natural British accent). Kristen Wiig still plays an awful mother, but you can tell she cares, but in her own way. Christopher Meloni was a caring and humorous ex-step-father. I also enjoyed Madeleine Waters as Kimmie and Margarita Levieva as Tabatha which were two of the characters I particularly didn't like in the book.

Marielle's take on the book was superb. This was a passion project for her and it shows. I hope to see more of her work in the future.

Brandon Trost won the Cinematography award at Sundance and you will see why. It just doesn't feel like any other movie I have seen. It is such a stand-out film.

THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL was an excellent movie and I cannot wait to see it again and again. I hope it has a soundtrack because I definitely want to buy it. It may not be suitable to see with the family, but definitely grab your best friend and go!

San Francisco, 1976: Minnie (Bel Powley) is a 15-year old who initiates a sexual affair with the boyfriend (Alexander Skarsgard) of her mother (Kristen Wiig).

"Diary" has much in common with "Fish Tank", a 2009 British film in which Michael Fassbender played the role of the boyfriend. But "Diary" can't be accused of copying the other film as it is based on the biographical graphic novel by Phoebe Gloeckner. Each film has its own strength and uniqueness.

There is much discomfort in the early sex scenes for obvious reasons. At least, Powley was an adult when the film was being made. But while the film clearly goes into taboo territory, it does so in a way that surprisingly comes off as moving rather than cheap and exploitative.

The story is told through Minnie's (Gloeckner's) perspective so, as it turned out, there seem to be no belief in victims or predators. While there are consequences for the very unconventional liaison, there is no sense of melodramatic punishment that would be expected in other current stories.

Director Marielle Heller does a great job in recreating the carefree attitude of San Francisco in the 1970s as she does in getting fine work from Powley and Skarsgard. The constant partying and indulgences in sex, booze, and drugs was simply the way of life back then and the lightness in attitude comes through in a way that is almost nostalgic. This attitude would crash later after the onset of AIDS, the Reagan years, and real estate speculation (the single-parent family lived in a big apartment in downtown San Francisco on a librarian's salary - something that couldn't happen today). There is also the enjoyable bonus of animated images that accompany Minnie's thoughts and reflections.

This movie succeeds in taking a controversial subject and expressing it convincingly with heart. - dbamateurcritic