Violence & Gore Man slaps woman. Domestic violence. A woman punches a man in the nose with her fist.

Sensitively and intelligently crafted by writer-director Laurel Parmet, The Starling Girl is a well-told coming-of-age story centering around a young woman's struggles with her spiritual faith.

For Parmet, inspiration for “The Starling Girl” came out of her own complicated feelings about her own experience as a teen. “It started for me from a personal place,” she says. “When I was a teenager, I had a relationship with an older man. I hesitate to call it a relationship even.

It is a brilliant moment to show a well-meaning congregant embarrasses her, which results in her running out to grab a literal predator's attention. Watching “The Starling Girl” is scarier than watching any horror movie. Owen's appeal is obvious.