‘The Diary of a Teenage Girl’ breaks past clichés

“The Diary of a Teenage Girl,” directed by Marielle Heller and starring Bel Powley, Alexander Skarsgard and Kristen Wiig, grabs you uncomfortably and tells a rarely-told coming of age story.

To say this movie is edgy, awkward and hard to watch is an understatement.  To say any of this is bad thing would be completely wrong.

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The film talks about the sexual coming of age teenagers experience, a topic rarely touched upon, especially at this level.

It differentiates itself by expressing the female version, unlike the more common “American Pie” and “The Graduate” type movies that focus on the male. It also does it in a slightly disturbing, but realistic manner.

“The Diary of a Teenage Girl” bumps past all your expectations — especially the cast that never lets stereotypes stop them from giving Oscar-worthy performances.

Both Powley and Skarsgard act in career-defining manner, but Wiig stands out the most. As someone known primarily for comedy, she shows she is not a one-trick pony. 

You love her, you hate her and by the end, you do not know what to think of her. She is a well-done, dynamic character.

“The Diary of a Teenage Girl” should be considered one of the best anti-romantic movies. It does not just hate on romance because it is fun, it creates a realistic love story.

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The movie portrays a story about finding out what love is, usually through sex. But at the end, it is revealed Minnie did not need to find love through another person, she needed to find it through herself.

The entire piece makes you think she needs to find someone to help make her situation less screwed-up.

It is not until its final moments everything is revealed.

Stars: 5 out 5

Jacob Pierce can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @JacobPierce1_DE.  

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