Overview
A teenage artist navigates the complexities of love and self-discovery in a vibrant 1970s San Francisco.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- witty
- bawdy
- intimate
- indie film night
- coming of age double feature
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a boldly unconventional, frank, and nonjudgmental coming-of-age drama with unusual emotional and visual brio.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Minnie's diary, drawings, and sexual experimentation present her desires and confusion from an intimate, nonjudgmental perspective.
Minnie's identity as a teenage artist is expressed through animation and graphic imagery integrated into the live-action narrative.
Minnie's affair with her mother's boyfriend is treated as emotionally complicated and uncomfortable rather than reduced to a simple romantic fantasy.
The story's 1970s San Francisco setting frames Minnie's family life, artistic aspirations, and sexual experimentation within a permissive but unstable social milieu.
Films like The Diary of a Teenage Girl, and why
Fish Tank
shared coming-of-age drama, frank teenage sexuality, and morally complex treatment of adolescent self-discovery
The Last Picture Show
shared 1970s period setting, female adolescent perspective, sexual awakening, and bittersweet emotional candor
Appropriate Behavior
shared unconventional female coming-of-age story, witty intimacy, and candid exploration of sexuality and identity
Ghost World
shared comic-inspired visual language, adolescent alienation, and bold mixture of humor with uncomfortable themes
Movie Details
- Director
- Marielle Heller
- Release Date
- 2015-08-07
- Runtime
- 102 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (808)
Cast
- Bel Powley
- Kristen Wiig
- Alexander Skarsgård
- Christopher Meloni
- Austin Lyon
- Madeleine Waters
- Margarita Levieva
- Quinn Nagle
- Abby Wait
- John Parsons
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Diary of a Teenage Girl about?
- A rebellious teenage artist navigates desire, neglect, and self-invention amid the messy freedoms of 1970s San Francisco.
- What is The Diary of a Teenage Girl like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Diary of a Teenage Girl as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Diary of a Teenage Girl violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in The Diary of a Teenage Girl.
- What did critics think of The Diary of a Teenage Girl?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a boldly unconventional, frank, and nonjudgmental coming-of-age drama with unusual emotional and visual brio.
- Which films are like The Diary of a Teenage Girl?
- Films with a similar feel include Fish Tank, The Last Picture Show, Appropriate Behavior, and Ghost World.
- How long is The Diary of a Teenage Girl?
- The Diary of a Teenage Girl runs 102 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Diary of a Teenage Girl?
- In United States, The Diary of a Teenage Girl streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
