10 Reasons You Must See ‘Diary of a Teenage Girl’

by Isabel Bartholomew

 

Starring Bel Powley, Kristen Wiig, and Alexander Skarsgard, Diary of a Teenage Girl is the coming-of-age film you need to see. It’s honest, funny, and beautiful. Here are some reasons to see this movie immediately:

1. Bel Powley: the actress who plays the protagonist, Minnie, has a captivating face and she’s hugely talented. Powley is the driving force of the film.

2. The cartoons: an aspiring cartoonist, Minnie imagines parts of her life in psychedelic drawings. She is sometimes visited by fairy godmother/feminist cartoonist Aline Kominsky, who offers Minnie words of advice (or simply space to voice her own ideas).

3. Kristen Wiig in a serious role: your favorite funny lady is incredible as Minnie’s party girl mother, pulling off a more serious role with poise and sensitivity. And check out THIS DRESS.

4. In fact, ALL THE CLOTHES: the film takes place in 1970s San Francisco, and the costumes are OUT OF THIS WORLD. I want EVERYTHING. Look at these:

 

5. The soundtrack: Including Nico, Heart, and the Stooges, the movie’s soundtrack will have you groovin’ all the way through.

6. Creepy dreamboat Alexander Skarsgard: So, yeah, Skarsgard is a low-key skeeve in this movie. But he’s still pretty hot, even with his pervy mustache. And he gives Monroe, his character, a lot of depth.

7. The script: it’s funny and poignant and very, very true. Diary of a Teenage Girl is based on Phoebe Gloeckner’s book of the same name, and both are brilliantly written.

8. The film’s realistic portrayal of a teen girl’s sex drive: as it turns out, teenage girls are human people, and lots of human people really enjoy and desire sex!! Diary of a Teenage Girl depicts Minnie’s sex life frankly: she wants sex and seeks it out, allowing sex to be many of the things it has the capacity to be—awesome, heart-wrenching, boring, whatever. Minnie has more agency than many teen girls in mainstream film when it comes to sex.

9. More costume appreciation, because, seriously, look at this:

 

10. A healthy dose of girl power: you’ll come away from Diary of a Teenage Girl feeling grateful and awed at all the things it means to be a young woman (or to have been a young woman at one time, or to know amazing young women in your life).

Watch the trailer below:

Images: Diary Of A Teenage Girl

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