Staff Review: The Diary of a Teenage Girl, the film
Categories: Literature & the Arts
NAB staff members were invited to the San Francisco pre-screening of The Diary of a Teenage Girl at the historic Castro Theatre this past Monday. Given the anticipation we’ve all had about the movie, it was an exciting evening, made even more so by the unexpected appearance of Alexander Skarsgård in full drag (for when in Rome/the Castro…) and a surprise performance of “The Time Warp” by a fabulous troupe of drag queens onstage before the screening. Minda Armstrong, our Print Production Manager, shared her thoughts on the film with us yesterday:
Tags: Graphic Novels & Comics Phoebe Gloeckner
The Diary of a Teenage Girl was a surprising delight. I watched the movie unfold into times past, revealing the human condition in what I refer to as the “fuzzy ’70s”—or sometimes, when I reminisce with friends, as “what the hell was that?” Having experienced the ’70s firsthand, it’s a time not always easy to explain. Minnie Goetze, however, beautifully and honestly illustrates her experience of this era in her truth-filled teenage coming-of-age.
Based on the audience’s reaction at the end of the film, it appeared to be a new, favorite film experience. As the credits rolled, I grinned and applauded along with the whistling and cheering crowd. It’s very good! It’s intelligent! I really liked it. And so, it seemed, did everyone else. This is definitely worthy of the price of a movie ticket.
The acting was true. The graphics and animation folded beautifully into the storyline, without being intrusive. The movie was poignant, funny, sad, “mad,” and almost dangerous for the curious 15-year-old.
While it’s true that the subject matter makes one wince when given full scrutiny, if you follow the “nonjudgmental” intent of the movie, I think you’ll be very glad you were able to meet Minnie on the big screen. Or perhaps she’s someone you already know?
—Minda Armstrong
About the Author
Maren Fox
Maren began her publishing career as an intern at Counterpoint and Soft Skull Press, where she stayed on for more than four years as a publicist and web coordinator. She joined the NAB team in 2015 and is still stoked about it—she gets to read her Rob Brezsny horoscope (Scorpio) before anyone else! Maren lives in Oakland with a monstrous Maine Coon and spends the majority of her spare time convincing him to not eat all of her houseplants. Sometimes she has time to write, paint things, garden, or repair furniture.
