The Starling Girl, written and directed by Laurel Parmet, looks at the journey of 17 year old Jem Starling (Eliza Scanlen) as she deals with a restrictive religious community, a growing interest in sex, and a crush on her married youth counselor.

The Starling Girl is set in a conservative religious community in Kentucky. Jem and her siblings live with their parents (Jimmi Simpson and Wrenn Schmidt). Jem’s dance troupe is allowed to praise God through dance at church services.

The pastor (Kyle Secor) welcomes home his son, Owen (Lewis Pullman), from a mission in Puerto Rico. Owen is married and will now be the youth pastor. Jem finds Owen attractive and invents excuses to talk to him. The pastor also has a son named Ben (Austin Abrams) who is Jem’s age and who is being encouraged to “court” Jem.

Jem’s mother loves this idea of Ben and Jem because that will improve her standing in the community if her daughter marries the pastor’s son. But Jem’s dad lapses back into drinking after the death of one his band mates from his days in the secular world. That causes complications.

It is painful to watch as Owen slowly works his way into a sexual relationship with Jem. She thinks she’s in love. He has no regrets as the grownup in charge, but doesn’t want anyone to know what they are doing.

It comes to a big climax when the secret is out. Will Jem ask forgiveness and return to a straight and narrow path? Will she run away with Owen? Or will she strike out on her own?

Eliza Scanlen is excellent in this. She commands the screen in every scene. It’s an old story – an older man taking advantage of a naive young woman, but Eliza Scanlen takes you on the journey and makes you feel it.

This film is streaming on Netflix, Plex, and Tubi.