Minnie Goetze (Bel Powley) is a 15-year-old girl growing up in 1970s San Francisco. When the film kicks off, we discover that she's just had sex - or so she dictates to her cassette tape diary. The Diary of a Teenage Girl turns out to be an emotional, real look at adolescence and the intense feelings it often embodies.
Minnie begins her sexual awakening with her mother's boyfriend, Monroe. Set in the 1970s, the film is full of sex and drugs, which Minnie partakes in at will. As with so many young women at that age, Minnie just wants to be wanted by the opposite sex. With her mom egging her on about the importance of her looks, Minnie learns from watching Charlotte that she must be alluring and up for anything to get boys.
As the film progresses, and her relationship with Monroe grows deeper, emotional abuse and manipulation becomes a key part of the story. Soon Monroe has both Charlotte and Minnie wrapped around his finger, and as he also begins to unravel, he takes Minnie and Charlotte down with him by constantly blaming them for his misbehavior.
It is difficult to watch Minnie go through so much turmoil. Powley is a revelation, addressing teenage body issues, recreational drug use, and young love with all the intensity, confusion, and naiveté of a true adolescent. Although these experiences help shape Minnie into a more responsible, confident young woman"¦ the film leaves with a powerful message "“ you don't need anyone to love you, you need to love yourself. That's an important message at any age and one that often takes adults years to figure out. The Diary of a Teenage Girl is powerful and endearing and ushers in Powley as a true talent.
