Film Review: The Diary of a Teenage Girl (18) (U.S.A. 2015) (Director: Marielle Heller), Filmhouse, Screen Two, Edinburgh, Thursday 20.08.2015, 20:45

The film is set in 1976 San Francisco, a time oft referred to as sexually permissive. British actress Bel Powley plays the teenager of the title, Mini, who at the age of 15 is going through her period of sexual awakening. Kristen Wiig plays her hedonistic flake of a mother and Alexander Skarsgard plays her mother's highly dodgy boyfriend. 

I felt that the film did a good job of capturing the nievity and sweet innocence of a child at this stage of adolescence, without falling into the typical American trap of having to make it overly sweet and mawkishly sentimental. It was also refreshing in that the only character who appears to do any learning is Mini who appears to learn from her various experimenting (and to an extent betrayals) in terms of sex (with males and females) and drugs. By the end of the film Mini is more self-assured and is no longer desperately reliant upon the displays of interest from others. 

The film has some very frank and funny passages without becoming overly explicit. I don't really understand why this needed to have an 18 certificate, as I don't feel it contains anything that a 15 year old would not be able to handle, and there may even be some 15 year old's who would benefit from seeing this. 

A very enjoyable watch and recommended, particularly for the younger viewer. 

Rating: 08/10.