Yesterday, my husband Jason asked me if I wanted to watch a film he recently watched called ‘Dirty Girl‘ starring Juno Temple and introducing Jeremy Dozier. I have never heard of this film before, I didn’t know the subject matter and thought I would take Jason’s word that the movie was worth watching. It was.
The story takes place in 1987 in Oklahoma and follows the lives of Danielle Edmonsdston (Juno Temple), a promiscuous high school student and Clarke Walters (Jeremy Dozier), a shy, gay classmate. Normally, the 2 would never connect however, they are forced together as Danielle is assigned to attend a ‘special class’ to try to stop her apparent ‘destructive behaviour’. Danielle and Clarke are forced to work together on a class project to learn the ways of parenting. They begin to learn about each other and eventually form a friendship. Danielle learns that her birth father is alive and decides she wants to meet him. Clarke is reluctant at first but is forced to join her as his father discovers that he is gay and wants to force him into military school in hopes to ‘cure the homosexuality’.
Watching this film, I couldn’t help but empathize with Clarke and Danielle as I know what it was like to be an outcast and to keep my homosexuality hidden from friends and family. Danielle’s version of being loved and accepted came in the form of her sexual conquests while Clarke’s was purely in fantasy as he dare not admit to being homosexual for fear of what his father might do.
Despite the films attempt to reach mass audience appeal – I found it to be honest, funny and touching. It is a true coming-of-age movie that I and so many other people can relate to. The movie also stars Milla Jovovich, William H. Macy, Mary Steenburgen, Dwight Yoakam, Maeve Quinlan and Tim McGraw. Directed by Abe Sylvia and Produced by Rachel Cohen, Rob Paris, Charles Pugliese and Jana Edelbaum.
Check out the trailer….the movie is available on Netflix.
COALITION OF POSITIVE ENERGY 