The Diary of a Teenage Girl - B

Rated R, 100 minutes

The bold yet absorbing new independent dramedy "The Diary of a Teenage Girl" is a frank, often dark coming-of-age story that isn't for everyone, but will still resonate for those who see it.  Like most teenage girls, 1970's San Franciscan Minnie Goetze (British newcomer Bel Powley in a breakout role here) is longing for love, acceptance and a sense of purpose in the world. Minnie begins a complex love affair with her mother's (Kristen Wiig) boyfriend, Monroe Rutherford (Alexander Skarsgård), while aspiring to be a comic book artist. Her honest journey of self-awakening and discovery is filled with many highs and lows, all helping her transition to adulthood. The superbly acted, compelling "The Diary of a Teenage Girl" is written and directed by Marielle Heller and based on Phoebe Gloeckner's best-selling 2002 graphic novel "The Diary of a Teenage Girl: An Account in Words and Pictures." It's an honest, unconventional look at teenage years of rebellion told from the female perspective, and it certainly has a layered, graphic complexity to it, not to mention loads of sex, drugs, flirtation with lesbianism and a short stint of homelessness. The highlight of the film is the superb acting, especially from the talented Howley, in a memorable breakout role; her affecting turns ground the film well and she often reminds of a young Janeane Garofalo. Minnie's affair with the much-older Monroe (Skaarsgard, very good here and different from his usual pretty boy roles) is at first creepy and off-putting, but later only underscores Minnie's desire for sex and to be loved, which she doesn't get from her distant, divorced parents (Kristen Wiig and Christopher Meloni), and only leading to further experimentation. "Teenage Girl" is set in the 1970's free-love, free-wheeling California, but it could be any time, as teens today experience and experiment with many of the same things Minnie did, yet maybe in different forms. Though "Diary" is often redundant and excessive (there's quite a bit of sex, even for a coming-of-age movie), it has some fun with the animated, comic book sequences that give light to some of Minnie's feelings. "The Diary of a Teenage Girl" is an absorbing, fresh take on teenage life that the young set may appreciate more, and Howley's strong, breakout turn is one to be seen.