Plot
A teen artist living in 1970s San Francisco enters into an affair with her mother's boyfriend.
Release Year: 2015
Rating: 6.9/10 (361 voted)
Critic's Score: 84/100
Director: Marielle Heller
Stars: Bel Powley, Alexander Skarsgård, Kristen Wiig
Storyline
A teen artist living in 1970s San Francisco enters into an affair with her mother's boyfriend.
Writers: Phoebe Gloeckner, Marielle Heller
Cast: Bel Powley -
Minnie
Kristen Wiig -
Charlotte
Abby Wait -
Gretel
Alexander Skarsgård -
Monroe
Miranda Bailey -
Andrea
Carson Mell -
Michael Cocaine
John Parsons -
Burt
Madeleine Waters -
Kimmie
Austin Lyon -
Ricky Wasserman
Quinn Nagle -
Chuck
Davy Clements -
Arnie
Charles Lewis III -
Cool English Teacher
David Fine -
Old Hippie
Susannah Schulman -
Aline Kominsky
(voice)
Christopher Meloni -
Pascal
Country: USA
Language: English
Release Date: 7 August 2015
Filming Locations: San Francisco, California, USA
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
Both Anthony Williams (who plays Frankie) and Quinn Nagle (who plays Chuck) attended UC Berkeley as full time students while making this film. But they didn't meet each other until they got the parts. See more »
User Review
Author:
Rating: 10/10
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!
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