“The Starling Girl” is a heartfelt coming-of-age movie about Jem Starling (Eliza Scanlen), a 17-year-old girl raised in a fundamentalist Christian community in Kentucky who falls for her married youth pastor Owen (Lewis Pullman). What follows next is a smart and intriguing drama from writer/director Laurel Parmet.
I spoke with both Scanlen and Pullman to talk about the film.
“The Starling Girl” premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and is now showing in select theaters from Bleecker Street Media.
I enjoyed talking to Jimmi Simpson for “The Starling Girl.” He’s smart and sweet. In the film, he stars as Paul Starling, a father with broken dreams. I spoke with the actor to talk about the making of “The Starling Girl.”
Filmmaker Laurel Parmet makes her directorial debut in the affecting “The Starling Girl.” Her firm control of the mood and tone makes the film engrossing and thought-provoking.
Take a look at my interview with the director as she talks about why she chose “The Starling Girl” as her feature film debut, working with the cast, and what she hopes for viewers to get after watching the film.