Yes, God, Yes is not just what I uttered a week ago after a sip of my first real cup of coffee in over a month, but also the name of the upcoming comedy drama that marks the feature debut of writer and director Karen Maine. It’s based on the 2017 short film of the same name that you can catch here.
Set in the early 2000s, the movie is a coming-of-age tale starring Natalia Dyer (Stranger Things’ Nancy) as an innocent Midwestern Catholic teenage girl who’s just begun to experience the joys of puberty and the raging hormones that come with it. In her guilt and confusion she signs up for a religious retreat that she hopes will teach her to control her urges, but what she discovers there makes her only more shaken and confused.
The official plot synopsis is as follows:
In the Midwest in the early 00s, sixteen-year-old Alice has always been a good Catholic girl. But when an AOL chat turns racy, she discovers masturbation and becomes guilt-ridden.
Seeking redemption, she attends a mysterious religious retreat to try and suppress her urges, but it isn’t easy, especially after a cute boy starts flirting with her.
Alice’s sense of shame is spiraling when she uncovers a shocking truth about the retreat’s most devout. Desperate and confused, she flees and meets an unlikely ally who offers an alternative view of what it means to be good. For the first time, Alice realizes she can decide for herself what to believe and finally gets the release she needs.
Let’s take a look:
If you’re old enough to have gone through puberty (one day soon, Brad!) then you’ll remember those insanely awkward and confusing times when your body just wanted to do its own thing, faithfully reproduced here and so easy to identify with – even for those of us who weren’t a teenage girl. This also looks pretty damn funny, with Dyer putting in a superb performance as the confused Alice.
What do you think?
Yes, God, Yes is due for release in the US in July. It also stars Timothy Simons, Wolfgang Novogratz, Francesca Reale, Susan Blackwell, Parker Wierling, Alisha Boe, and Donna Lynne Champlin.
Last Updated: May 11, 2020
