Meet 15-year-old Minnie Goetze: Shes just lost her virginity to her mothers 35-year-old boyfriend, Monroe, in mid-Seventies San Francisco. I had sex, the young woman says. Holy shit! Right from the beginning of Marielle Hellers adaptation of Phoebe Gloeckners 2003 frank, semi-autobiographical tome The Diary of a Teenage Girl, youre experiencing the world (as well as Minnies appetite for sex, drugs, and art) though its heroines perspective via a mix of diary entries, candid voiceovers and tripped-out animated vignettes. Anyone whos read the book could tell you that its unstructured narrative and mix of prose and illustrated panels doesnt exactly lend itself to the big screen all of which makes the writer-director debut film that much more impressive.
Heller discovered the book eight years ago when her younger sister gifted it to her for Christmas. The moment I closed the cover on it, I picked up the phone and called the publisher, not even knowing what I was going to say other than I want to adapt this,' says Heller, two days after the films Sundance premiere. At the time, she was primarily working as an actress, and disappointed by all the poorly written roles she was stuck with. (I was babbling and pacing in my apartment. I was driven by a force I cant even explain.) According to Heller, Gloeckner had been approached several times before, but the author didnt feel the interested parties were drawn to the book for the right reasons. I think some people wanted to change the story and moralize it, she says, which is something I never wanted to do.
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The director had no intention of turning Diarys wild-child coming-of-age story into a cautionary tale; at the same time, she wasnt looking to exploit anybody or be gratuitous, which is a tricky balance given the books plot. Its Minnie who more or less initiates the relationship with the older man, as well as dropping acid, participating in a threesome and pretending to be a hooker but shes also talented and moody and passionate and pained. In short, shes more real than the salacious details make her sound. Fortunately, Heller found the most compelling lead in newcomer Bel Powley. She was so crucial, says Heller. She submitted an audition tape, which is surprising because you never hear of people getting cast because of a tape. I fell in love with her.
I think female sexuality isnt explored enough in film or even in conversation.
Its impossible not to. The 22-year-old Londoner plays Minnie to perfection, moving between silliness and carnality with the ease of an actual teenager. The role demanded a lot of nudity and physicality, and by the time we caught up with her, she had answered approximately 567 questions regarding the matter. Of course [I was nervous], in the way that anyones going to be scared about exposing themselves like that, says Powley, looking older than her onscreen counterpart in a black leather jacket and slacks. But the reason I did the movie is because I think female sexuality isnt explored enough in film, or in any medium or even in conversation. That was more important to me, so I got over it quickly.
At the premiere, the Sundance audience was enthusiastic, as Sundance audiences tend to be, but read the comments section for a couple of the early reviews (or, on second thought, dont) and its clear that outside of the supportive festival setting, Diary is destined to come under fire for its portrayal of what is, legally speaking, statutory rape. Im prepared for people to be up and arms, says Heller. But I think theres some real emotional feelings between the two of them, and I think Monroe (played by True Bloods Alexander Skarsgard) is, emotionally speaking, 15-years-old. I do think hes irresponsible, but I view it as a super-complicated relationship that lives in the grey zone. Ultimately, it helps Minnie get in touch with her sexuality, which is a good thing. It also helps her find her own self-worth which is a really good thing.
Powley adds: Were not trying to promote 35-year-old men having sex with 15-year-old girls, but I think we wanted to do the movie and play the characters without judging them. We didnt want to portray Monroe as a predator, because thats not what he is. And Minnie was at a point in her life where she couldve fallen in love with whoever she lost her virginity to, as a lot of young girls do.
For both women, Minnies story, which is really Gloeckners story, speaks to their own adolescence, even if they didnt go to the same extremes. As a horny teenager, I always felt like something was wrong with me, says Heller. I was really empowered and comforted by Phoebes book, and by the depiction of a young girl whos exploring her sexuality without shame. Powley, whose teenage years arent that far behind her, says, For sure, I went through everything Minnie goes through. Mari really hit the nail on the head in terms of the frustration of being a teenager and oscillating between so many different things at one time. I was a nightmare when I was like 13, 14, 15; by 16 Id kind of done everything, so I was this little adult.
Fans of the book will surely be pleased with the faithful adaptation, but in the end, this movie is not just for the fans. In Minnies words, its for all the girls when they have grown.
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