Marielle Heller’s coming-of-age film, The Diary of a Teenage Girl, focuses on the sexual awakening of a love-starved teenager on a voyage of self-discovery.
Minnie Goetze (Bel Powley), the young woman in question, is 15 years old and anxious to lose her virginity. Thinking that she won’t look as good as Lori Buckby in the nude, what if she said something weird? What if her underwear wasn’t sexy enough? All of the things a usual teen thinks about. Taking all of this into consideration she sees her opportunity and she seduces her mother’s 35-year-old boyfriend, Monroe (Alexander Skarsgard), and learns a an important lesson.
In the opening scene of the film — which opens in Canada on August 28 — Minnie seems to be riding the crest of a euphoric moment. Sporting a broad smile and exuding buoyancy, she announces her conquest. “I had sex today,” she chortles. “Holy shit.” Her life has become “really crazy,” she adds.
Minnie, a latter-day Lolita, resides in San Francisco, circa 1976. She and her single mother, Charlotte (Kristen Wiig), a flower child from the 1960s whose old habits die hard, are on a collision course. They’re sleeping with the same man. Realizing she has embarked upon an unusual erotic adventure, she starts an electronic diary on a cassette recorder.
An aspiring artist, Minnie feels neglected. Charlotte is distracted by hedonistic pursuits, and her father lives in New York City. Left to her own devices, Minnie crosses a red line when she makes a play for Monroe. As they sit in a dim bar, Minnie sucks his fingers seductively. When he admits he’s been aroused, she says, “I want you to fuck me.”
Surprised and taken aback by Minnie’s boldness, Monroe succumbs to her charms. He deflowers her in a scene virtually bereft of nudity, which only comes later in the film.
In an original touch, Heller uses comic book animation techniques to explore Minnie’s thoughts.
While she enjoys her carnal encounters with Monroe, Minnie is resentful of Monroe’s relations with Charlotte. In one telling sequence, Minnie and Monroe glance at each other furtively in Charlotte’s presence.
Clueless about Minnie’s secret dalliance with Monroe, Charlotte urges her to find a boyfriend. Minnie focuses her sexual ardor on a male classmate after Monroe expresses second thoughts about continuing their relationship. When she and Monroe link up again, they exchange angry words. Minnie commits an act she soon regrets and experiments with drugs and lesbianism. As she grows wiser, she comes to realize that happiness and male companionship are mutually exclusive.
Powley, a self-possessed British actress, turns in a mature performance as a girl bumping up against the cusp of adulthood. Skarsgard, casual and relaxed, is excellent as a decent but impulsive man who tries to balance infatuation with common sense.
Rife with drama and unexpected turns, The Diary of a Teenage Girl leaves us with insightful observations about teenage angst, the nature of romance, the allure of lust and the complexity of relationships.