After being wowed by “The End of the Tour” and “Z for Zachariah,” Saturday’s Sundance slate was more of a mixed bag. But with some of our favorite names like James Franco, Kristin Wiig and Greta Gerwig, there is plenty to talk about with the films HuffPost Entertainment saw on Saturday — perhaps most notably, the buzzed-about transgender-focused underdog, “Tangerine.”
“Mistress America”
Directed by Noah Baumbach
Written by Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig
Starring Greta Gerwig and Lola Kirke
Filmmaker Noah Baumbach collaborated with actress, and now girlfriend, Greta Gerwig in “Greenberg” (2010) and again on “Frances Ha” (2012) — the latter a film that stole hipster hearts and turned everyone into an instant Gerwig fan. Our hopes were high for their next film “Mistress America,” which premiered at Sundance on Saturday evening.
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Plenty of movies have attempted to capture the thread of American ennui that sprung up in the afterglow of the 1960s’ hippie crusade and sexual revolution. Most of them cast broad strokes over the flower power that enlivened so much of the country and disturbed so many others. “The Diary of a Teenage Girl” offers a unique take on one dysfunctional family navigating through a mélange that mystifies their sense of purpose in 1974 San Francisco.
At the center of that family is 15-year-old Minnie Goetz (Bel Powley). We first see her gleaming as she glides down the street sporting a proud smirk on her face. “I had sex today. Holy shit,” she says in a voice-over that stems from the tape recorder that houses her audio diary. Sometimes we hear that diary as narration, and sometimes we see Minnie lying on her bed, logging insecure thoughts about body image and self-worth. Crazed for the love and attraction her rowdy, Patty Hearst-obsessed mother (an excellent Kristen Wiig) often doesn’t provide, the emotionally immature teen begins an ongoing assignation with her mom’s boyfriend (Alexander Skarsgård) that inaugurates her sexual awakening. As portrayed winningly by Powley, one of Sundance’s breakout stars, Minnie’s distinctive voice carries this film. She is a budding graphic artist, and the movie frequently morphs into charming animation. (Ever wondered what it would be like to see a character picture a stranger’s hand-drawn penis emerge from his pants?) Once Minnie’s virginity is gone, she embarks on one sexual tryst and drug experimentation after the next. One of the finest scenes comes during an acid trip with her mother’s boyfriend that reliably calls upon the phantasmagoric illustrations that occur throughout.
It’s possible there’s too much languor in “Diary of a Teenage Girl,” but first-time writer/director Marielle Heller does an impressive job adapting Phoebe Gloekner’s unusual novel, which also features hand-drawn illustrations throughout. It’s certainly a movie that grows on you after leaving the theater. Its finest achievement comes in not asking for a moral calculation of its characters’ actions. You’ll recognize the confusion that troubles Minnie’s understanding of the adults around her, and you’ll fiend for a glimmer of hope for the adventure that awaits her future life. — MJ
