Karen Maine's "Yes, God, Yes" is a very specific movie intended for a very specific audience. That's not to say that it doesn't offer enough wit and humor for everyone to enjoy - the movie is by no means alienating - but the picture is elevated if you experienced the Catholic school setting depicted by Maine in her coming-of-age tale. For some, it will add an extra level of relatability to the familiar trappings that come with stories about teenagers during self-discovery.
Honestly, this reviewer is not qualified to write about "Yes, God, Yes." The movie is told through the prism of a high school girl named Alice (Natalia Dyer), who is learning about her body, sexual impulses, and everything in between. As a lifelong Catholic school student, however, it's safe to say that Maine captured the environment and attitudes towards the topics explored as realistically as possible. The strict attention paid to the way students dress and the discomfort with acknowledging changing bodies will elicit reactions from those who watch the film.
In one of her classes, led by Father Murphy (Timothy Simons), students are amused as their teacher stumbles through a sex talk with silly descriptors, in order not to raise the conversation above a PG rating. The topic of "self-love" being a sin causes some confusion with Alice. She isn't someone who likes to break the rules or rage against authority, but she is a teenager and a rightfully curious one. After the talk in Father Murphy's class, she feels as if there is something to atone for and confesses to rewinding the "Titanic" sex scene on multiple occasions. Alice's mind doesn't stop racing because she's told to not engage with these topics. She fires up her big PC and signs onto AOL, where she stumbles into a chatroom and engages in cybersex for the first time. Her curiosity surrounding sexuality is tested in the confines of a religious retreat when she finds herself attracted to Chris (Wolfgang Novogratz), one of the students running the retreat.
"Yes, God, Yes" is the feature debut for Maine, who is expanding upon her 11-minute short with the same title. This iteration only clocks in at 78 minutes, and the movie does feel slight and a bit thin at times, but Maine is a strong writer. She previously wrote the excellent 2014 movie "Obvious Child," starring Jenny Slate, who is faced with the decision of getting an abortion. Maine is clearly comfortable taking on topics that people might not be willing to discuss, which could rapidly make her an important voice in independent cinema. Like "Obvious Child," "Yes, God, Yes" presents a fully-realized character and places us in the middle of their lives.
The movie will make you cringe; not because of the topics discussed, but because sometimes a film can hit a bit too close to home. Even so, taking that trip down a winding, confusing, and awkward memory lane is bound to provide some entertainment, so say your prayers for "Yes, God, Yes."
"Yes, God, Yes" will debut in virtual cinemas and drive-ins starting July 24. It will expand to digital and VOD on July 28.
0 comments:
Post a Comment